Michiyo Fukaya (25 April 1953 – 9 July 1987), also known as Michiyo Cornell, was an American feminist poet and activist whose work played an important part in the lesbian and Asian American communities.[1] In 1979, Fukaya gave a speech entitled "Living in Asian America: An Asian American Lesbian's Address Before the Washington Monument" at the First National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference.[2] Drawing a parallel between the oppression of men and women in Third World countries to the oppression experienced by lesbian and gay Asian Americans, she acknowledged they both stemmed from white racism.[3] Fukaya called attention to both racism in the lesbian and gay movement as well as heterosexism in the growing Asian American community.[4] Fukaya's writing appeared in publications such as Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians. Her poetry and prose is collected in A Fire Is Burning, It Is In Me: The Life and Writing of Michiyo Fukaya.[5][6]
Michiyo suffered from depression for a significant part of her life and had a difficult time living as an Asian-American lesbian and single mother in Vermont. As a result, she committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the head on 9 July 1987 at only 34 years of age.[7]