Margaret Cho has signed on as an executive producer for a new web series called Mercy Mistress, according to Broadway World. She announced her role with the series on her Instagram account last week.
The series follows the life of a queer, first generation, Chinese American dominatrix in Manhattan named Mistress Yin, who will be played by Poppy Liu.
Mercy Mistress is based on a memoir by Yin Quan. The author told Broadway World that she is excited to work with Cho.
“We are thrilled to bring Mercy Mistress to the communities it represents, as well as to the greater audience,” Quan said. “I am personally ecstatic to work with the legendary Margaret Cho. She has long championed the myriad voices inside and behind this series.”
According to IndieWire, Cho decided to produce the project because of its representation of Asian American identity, specifically Asian American queer identity.
LATEST STORIES
“I think it’s so unique, and such a fresh perspective, and it’s a fresh take on what we think of as a BDSM community and the queer community and also Asian American-ness,” Cho told IndieWire.
Quan said to IndieWire that she hopes the show will challenge harmful stereotypes about Asian American sex workers.
“So many representations of especially Asian American sex workers are usually sex trafficked victims, or people who have been misused during war-time, so those images are the ones that stick with us,” Quan said. “To be an Asian American sex worker, you have to live with this stereotype of the person who’s been victimized so much that you don’t have your own agency. So how to then reclaim not only your agency over your sexuality, but also your agency over your work and keep it valid has been a deep struggle.”
The entire series will debut on January 7 after a launch event at New York’s Museum of Sex.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
