Queer joy is a radical act, so join us each week for more stories that uplift, resist, and shine. For more stories on Queer Joy, click here.After dressing some of Hollywoods biggest stars, setting trends on the runway, and starring in his own Netflix show, fashion designer Thi Nguyn is now busy breaking down barriers with his adorable childrens book.Not only is Nguyns book Mais o Di about a little girl who has two dads learning to love wearing a traditional Vietnamese outfit for Lunar New Year, but its also a celebration of two important parts of his identity and because of this has become a hit among children and their parents looking for the kind of representation Nguyn wished he had growing up.Nguyn is both gay and a Vietnamese American, and while he has had a wildly successful career, he wasnt always accepted for being an immigrant or for his sexuality. Being an immigrant left him open to hate and ridicule from society, but he also experienced judgment from his family, who considered being gay to be a sickness, or like a phase, or a trend, which is why he feels like his childrens book is so important. Its really about exposure. Its not just about race, but its all about identity in general, and queerness as well. We need that exposure, Nguyn tells PRIDE. And for my parents, because theyre very traditional, and Im the only child, so that responsibility as an Asian son in an immigrant family, that responsibility that I have to get married to a woman and have kids and carry on the name.Luckily, Nguyns parents have since come around and now accept his partner, whom he has been with for 18 years, with open arms.Nguyn co-wrote Mais o Di, alongside Monique Truong and illustrator Dung Ho, because he wanted to create a childrens book that celebrated the unique parts of his identity in a way he was never able to experience when he was growing up.The book is for the kids, but you don't even know, the Vietnamese mom, Vietnamese dad, they will come up to me and they were like I wish I had this book growing up because for a very long time we had to hide ourselves. There was no exposure whether on media or in literature, so this was not just only for the kids, but also for the adults, he explains. The idea for Mais o Di came after Nguyn made history on the red carpet with Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran. Tran was the first woman of color to play a lead in the popular franchise when she took on the role of Rose Tico in 2017. After a flurry of racist, misogynistic comments and death threats from the Star Wars fandom that drove her out of the public eye and into therapy, she decided to celebrate her cultural heritage in a very public way.Nguyn designed an o di a traditional Vietnamese garment that includes a long tunic and pants for Tran to wear on the red carpet, and the impact it had on the community served as the inspiration for his childrens book. We made that ensemble in 16 hours, and then it became this iconic moment for the whole community, he said.In Mais o Di, the main characters Vietnamese cultural identity is front and center, but Nguyn intentionally made the LGBTQ+ theme more subtle. There is no mention of the little girl at the heart of the story having gay dads, but in the illustration of Mai arriving at the Lunar New Year party, she walks in with her two dads by her side.The book was released in January and while on a book tour Nguyn said that everyone he comes across appreciates seeing their own identities reflected in the book.They appreciate that there is a book like that out there for the kids to see themselves. And also, you know the queer parents who see this it's like it's like a very nice surprise when they read the book, he said.The response to Mais o Di has been overwhelmingly positive, and the one homophobic review Nguyn got on Amazon, only fueled sales of his book.When my co-author sent me that and I saw that, I was like, You know what, this one-star review like push so much sales because so many people were like, Oh my god, what world is he living in? Nguyn said that when you are Vietnamese, youre parents expect you to settle down with a wife and kids and become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, so him turning out to be a gay fashion designer was a hard pill to swallow, but his parents and the community at large have embraced him.I have always been that disappointment, you know, a gay guy doing fashion, its like a double whammy, he shared. Here I am Im truly happy that Im a queer American fashion designer and I have a home. I have a business and I get to celebrate with so many people.