WE FIRST REALIZED that the stock in Asian-American males had risen dramatically when a hunky Indian patient (played by Sunkrish Bala) turned up on TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” with a giant erection that wouldn’t go away. The fluffer responsible for his priapism was none other than the star of the show—a beautiful, intelligent, desirable white girl.

Finally the Asian-American male was being shown in primetime as a sexual being. Not as an emasculated dweeb. And best of all, it was treated as a matter of fact. Yes, November 27, 2005, was a proud day for Asian brothers everywhere, and just one of the many Cultural Milestones in the Rise of the Asian Male as Sex Object that we’ve witnessed in the last 10 years.

Gone are the days when the only Asian male you saw in the mainstream media was a nerd, a thug, a gook, or a martial-arts type. We’ve come along way since Long Duk Dong (though the foreign-exchange dorkatype does make an ironic comeback in this season’s “Aliens in America”).

In today’s media, we see Asian males in all kinds of roles and capacities. As sports stars (Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian). Comedians (Bobby Lee). Politicians (Bobby Jindal). Trusted experts (Sanjay Gupta. M.D.). In fact, one of TV’s biggest stars is Japanese-American actor Masi Oka of “Heroes” fame. The guy is everywhere—on the covers of Wired and Entertainment Weekly, even “Got Milk?” ads (obviously aimed at the non-lactose intolerant segment of the population).

But wait, you say. Masi Oka still plays a bespectacled, slightly pudgy, asexual cubicle drone. Fine, fine. Lovable crossover appeal not withstanding, Hiro’s not exactly a stud. What about the “Lost” boys Naveen Andrews and Daniel Dae Kim? Or studly Will Yun Lee in “Bionic Woman”? And let’s not forget the hot Asian beefcake of reality TV, Yul Kwon of “Survivor: Cook Islands” (one of People’s Sexiest Men in 2006), and this season’s bisexual “Top Chef,” Hung Huynh, who’s double-entendre name occasioned this report from the Defamer Institute of Priapic Analysis.

Charismatic Asian men have long made their mark on the big screen, starting with James Shigeta and later Bruce Lee and the martial-arts stars who’ve come after him (Jet Li, Jackie Chan). But only recently have we seen them as bona fide leading men in major American productions (Ken Watanabe, Chow Yun-Fat, John Cho). And it’s not just Asian-born stars (who are presumably free of the cultural hang-ups about Asian-American masculinity). Look at Jersey boy Kal Penn.

Of course, a sexualized image is not always a good thing, as in the case of L.A. fashion designer and alleged serial rapist Anand Jon. And though Asian-American males are far from facing the hide-your-women notoriety of African-American men, their masculinity is no longer at issue (if glossy ads are any indication). In fact, they have become fetishized by a growing number of women (not just rice queens). Women even gather at Asian Affinity to “encourage and advocate romantic relationships between Asian males & non-Asian females.”

Times have changed for Asian-American men in the media and in the real world. The old excuse for why they can’t get a date—emasculation in the media—just doesn’t fly anymore. Will they still face (ahem) stiff competition from other males and garden-variety rejection from women? Of course, but the playing field has leveled. The rest is up to them.

Go get ‘em, tiger!

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