Searching for Queer Asian Pacific America

Guest Post by Patrick G. Lee



I grew up thinking that you could be queer or Asian, but never both. That definitely had to do with the TV shows I watched (Will & Grace; Sex and the City) and the people I met at my Korean church (all straight or super super super closeted).

So when I started coming out as a queer Asian person in my twenties, I just assumed that I was on my own. Almost all of my gay friends from college were white, they all spoke the same language as their parents, and they had long ago dealt with the coming out process.

But a few years later, I moved to New York and made my first gay Asian friends in the city. We all met at a family acceptance workshop for Asian Pacific Islanders at the LGBT Center in Manhattan. That summer, we danced together, sang karaoke together, and ate Korean BBQ together -- and our chosen family just kept growing.

Many of us shared anxieties over communicating with our immigrant parents and coming out to our families. Visiting relatives abroad meant re-entering the closet. But we had each other to commiserate and confide in.

At the same time, I felt lost and unmoored in my personal history as a queer Asian American: I had found my chosen family, but who were our parents and our grandparents, our aunties and our ancestors?

Another Parade: The Olympics and LGBTQ Asians and Pacific Islanders

Guest Post by Glenn D. Magpantay, Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance



Sports was never my thing. In high school gym class, I would always be the last person to be picked for a team. No one wanted me. I was too fat. Too slow. And I was uncomfortable in my body. The jocks called me queer for being effeminate.

But, today, I’m captivated by the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang. They show us how we can be all of who we are—that we can live our lives authentically and achieve our fullest potential in whatever we do. They also remind me that the world is still a dangerous place to be LGBTQ.

Letters to Immigrant Parents on National Coming Out Day

Guest Post by Patrick Lee



Growing up queer is rarely easy. Throw on a heaping load of immigrant family sacrifice, cultural conflict, and language barriers, and you have something that starts to approximate how I felt coming of age in a very white suburb of Chicago.

I didn't know whom to talk to or confide in; I didn't even really know why I felt so different from other people around me. I just knew that I didn't see myself in any of my friends or classmates.

But now I know I'm not alone: As an adult, I moved to New York and started seeking out community. I met a handful of queer and trans Asian Pacific Americans, and then another handful, and then another. Our experiences are never the same; our families all unique. But we share some common threads and frustrations, and for the first time in my life, I felt like someone was hearing me.

I decided to make a film to document some of the stories of our community, and the struggles we have communicating with our immigrant parents about queerness, gender identity, and sexuality.

Q & A with The OA's Ian Alexander

Trans teen actor debuts in the mysterious new Netflix series. Guest Post by Jes Vu.



In a time where representation is such a hot topic in Hollywood, Netflix's The OA does something few have done: cast an actual Asian transgender teenage boy as an Asian transgender teenage boy. Vietnamese-American teen Ian Alexander is one of multiple Asian actors in The OA's main cast alongside Filipino/Puerto Rican-American Brandon Perea and British Pakistani Riz Ahmed (in a recurring role). Continuing the spotlight from his response to a viral anti-trans photo, Ian makes his on-screen acting debut as Buck Vu in the newly-released show having been cast from an online open casting call in 2015.

Growing up in places including Japan, Hawai'i, and D.C. have helped shape Ian. The fifteen-year-old high school junior has had more experiences than most teenagers his age, and his passion knows no bounds. He's politically-vocal, a huge admirer of actors and filmmakers like Jen Richards (Her Story) and Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) and relentless as a Marvel fanboy (he's "Team Bucky" for those who are curious). Ian had time to sit down and talk about his upbringing and the show (don't worry, there are no spoilers here).

Korean American Parents Stand Up for Their LGBTQ Children

Guest post by Clara Yoon, A Mom from Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP)


As I help plan the first-ever Korean American LGBTQ Seminar for family members, allies and the broader immigrant community, I cannot help but wonder: which moment was it that enabled me to become the loud and proud mother of a bisexual, transgender son that I am today?

Was it when my child, at the tender age of fourteen, declared in an angry burst that he was a boy? In that moment, my husband and I felt confused, afraid and angry.

Was it when I started frantically searching for words to describe LGBTQ terminology in Korean so that I could talk to extended family about my son's new name and gender pronouns? I remember feeling frustrated and depressed about the lack of resources available.

Was it when I discovered the Dari Project's bilingual anthology of LGBTQ stories, giving me a glimpse of the barriers that Korean American LGBTQ people face in their everyday lives?

Was it when I felt heartbroken to hear of LGBTQ youths in Korea who run away from their abusive homes and schools, and of the struggles to build safe spaces to house and protect them?

Was it when I met Joanne Lee, a Korean American mom from Madison who lost her 16-year-old transgender son to depression? After her son Skylar's death, Joanne started touring U.S. cities to share his story and speak about the importance of family acceptance.

Was it when I started sobbing uncontrollably on the bus back home from Philadelphia, where I had spent a beautiful weekend with my son attending the Trans Health Conference? I had just read his Facebook post on the Orlando tragedy. He spoke of how, for the first time in his life, he felt afraid. Even so, he vowed to fight back as part of the queer community. I felt helpless as a parent, because I fully realized in that moment that I couldn't always protect my son, and that this world is still not safe for him and others in the LGBTQ community.

Gay Asian Group in NYC Condemns NYS Senate Candidate SJ Jung's Comments on LGBTQ People

Guest Post by GAPIMNY



Since 1990, the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) has provided a supportive space for our hundreds of queer and trans A/P/A members who experience racism, homophobia and transphobia -- from strangers, from other social justice movements and even from our own family members.

We will continue to hold that space in the face of homophobic statements made by S.J. Jung, a candidate for New York State Senate who promised supporters that he would try to ban pictures of same-sex couples from school textbooks. Jung’s comments reflect that the prejudices our communities face can come from people who say they are advocates for Asian Americans, immigrants, youth, seniors, or even all New Yorkers. When people like Mr. Jung speak of inclusion and protecting "the rights and freedoms of all," where does that leave LGBTQ API people?

If Jung wants to erase us, he’s going to have to work a little harder.

Sulu is gay in 'Star Trek Beyond'

John Cho reveals a significant new detail about his iconic character's private life.



Oh myyyy. Spoiler alert.

Sulu is gay in Star Trek Beyond and it's not a big deal. In the latest Star Trek movie, it is revealed that the USS Enterprise's helmsman, played by John Cho, is married and has a daughter with a same sex partner.

Okay, this is kind of a big deal, but I guess the movie is treating it like just another character detail about Hikaru Sulu's personal life in the forward-thinking future of Star Trek. We've already established that he's a badass and exceptionally good at his job. He's also a dad and married to a man.

The decision by director Justin Lin and screenwriter/co-star Simon Pegg to make Sulu gay was, of course, a nod to George Takei, who played the character in the original 1960s television series and beyond.

An Open Letter about Orlando from Asian American Parents Who Love Our LGBTQ Kids

Cross-Posted from NQAPIA


Dear Community,

We, the Asian American Parents Who Love Our LGBTQ Kids, are heartbroken about the Orlando tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, both given and chosen, especially their parents. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and are still fighting for their lives and those who are suffering emotional trauma. Our hearts go out to our LGBTQ community that is shaken by this horrible news and the loss of their friends and community members, particularly in the Latina/o community.

We support our LGBTQ children and we are proud of who they are. However, we are concerned because we know this world is not 100% safe for them. We condemn this type of unthinkable, senseless violence against the LGBTQ community. Our children are not people to be extinguished, they are loved and cherished and deserve to live their lives fully without hatred and bigotry.

We also stand in solidarity with Muslim families, especially parents with queer Muslim children. Many of our South Asian families are from Muslim backgrounds and they are our siblings in this fight against homophobia and transphobia. Our hearts are with our LGBTQ South Asian and Muslim community members who are reeling in pain from yesterday's attack and feeling the combined pain of Islamophobia, homophobia, and racism. We stand in solidarity with you.

#RedefineSecurity: Policing & Profiling in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities

Guest Post by Sasha W., National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance



When a queer Pakistani Muslim person tries to fly to India, she is deemed a security risk and subjected to an invasive pat-down. Her brown skin is considered a flight risk.

When a Samoan trans woman is targeted by the police for prostitution, her gender identity is disrespected and disregarded. She is seen as a threat, while those who attack and kill trans women are routinely allowed to walk free.

When a gender non-conforming East Asian person tries to fly, they are stopped by security time and time again. Their body is not legible, too confusing to be safe.

When a queer Southeast Asian person is stopped by the police, in a car full of young people, the police care more about impounding her car than the safety of brown youth. Her car is seen as an inconvenience; her safety is deemed unimportant.

These are stories I have heard from friends in just the past few weeks. In our communities, these stories are endless and often go untold. From police officers to TSA agents to FBI informants, people in our API communities are being targeted for state violence, and we need to fight back.

"We cannot separate the conversation between racial justice and LGBTQ justice."

Cross-posted from API Equality-LA



Content warning: suicide, transphobia

On September 28th, 2015, 16 year-old Skylar Lee of Madison, WI took his own life. Lee was a Korean American transboy who was an active and powerful voice in the LBGTQ community. As we reflect on his passing, we are reminded of the ways that racist and transphobic systems create trauma for our communities and that space must always be created in our work to honor our mental health.

If you are a queer or transgender youth and in need of support or just need someone to listen. Please reach out by visiting translifeline.org or calling 877-565-8860. For 24 hours a day help please visit thetrevorproject.org or call 866-488-7386.

Here is a shared photo from GSAFE, an LGBT organization in Madison, WI dedicated to creating school communities where LGBTQ youth and students thrive. Lee worked for GSAFE and was active in addressing the school-to-prison pipeline. We reflect on his work for intersectionality and the urgency of fighting the school-to-prison pipeline as it directly affects queer trans youth of color. He wrote on this in the Power In Partnerships Publication (full report available here.

Read his words below:

NQAPIA 2015 National Conference, August 6-9

Thriving Together: Queer APIs Building Community, Solidarity, & Movement



You are invited to join the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance for their largest, most diverse gathering of LGBTQ Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders next month at the NQAPIA 2015 National Conference. It's happening August 6-9 in Chicago.

With the help of over 100 workshops with presenters who have worked around the world, NQAPIA hopes to press a progressive agenda that will bring all LGBTQ racial and ethnic minority groups into the full-fold of their families, society, the LGBTQ movement, and the AAPI community.

Here are some more details about the conference:

Asian Parents Who Love Their LGBTQ Kids

NQAPIA launches a series of multilingual PSAs for Pride Month.



The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance is a federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander organizations working to promote acceptance of LGBT people, and their rights and dignity, amongst AAPI communities.

For Pride Month, NQAPIA, in partnership with the Asian Pride Project, has launched a series of short multilingual videos featuring AAPI Parents Who Love Their LGBTQ Kids. The videos will air as public service announcements on Asian-language TV stations throughout the month of June.

The goal of the campaign is the diversity the faces and languages of those who support the LGBT community, giving voice to AAPI parents who have LGBT kids, and LGBTQ youth who aim to come out to parents, who are often foreign-born immigrants and/or are limited-English proficient.

Take a look at the first two videos they've launched for the campaign:

Influential activist killed in Atlanta crime spree

Community leader Catherine Han Montoya fought for immigrant and LGBTQ rights in the South



In Atlanta, police have arrested a suspect in connection with bloody cross-county crime spree that killed a beloved activist and organizer who fought for immigrant and LGBTQ rights in the South.

Prominent Queer Korean, Chicana Leader Killed in Her Atlanta Home

Donte Lamar Wyatt has been charged with murdering Catherine Han Montoya inside her East Atlanta home on Monday. Authorities have not yet identified a motive in the killing, but Wyatt is also charged with stabbing his estranged wife in Waffle House, twenty miles away, earlier that same day. Wyatt also stole Montoya's car, crashed it, and broke into another woman's house, where he was eventually apprehended by police.

'Fresh Off The Boat' Live LA Community Viewing: LGBTQ Episode

Tuesday, March 31 at the Japanese American National Museum



If you're in Los Angeles, please join us for another community viewing of Fresh Off The Boat! Because it's fun to watch it together. The next episode, "Blind Spot," is a LGBTQ-themed episode, so a bunch of community groups are getting together to co-present a live viewing and post-show panel discussion featuring Fresh Off The Boat showrunner/executive producer Nahnatchka Khan, episode guest star Rex Lee, author/comedian D'Lo and artist/organizer Erin O'Brien, and moderated by filmmaker Curtis Chin. It's happening Tuesday, March 31 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.

Here are some more details:

Okaeri: A Nikkei LGBTQ Gathering

Saturday, November 15 at the Japanese American National Museum



OKAERI, meaning "Welcome Home" in Japanese, is a one-day gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning individuals, family and allies. It will be a day of connecting, education and storytelling in workshops and plenary sessions open to all LGBTQ persons and allies. It's happening Saturday, November 15 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

Here are some more details about the event:

Fund This: 'Spa Night' - A Korean American Film about coming out

A closeted teenager follows his desires and finds more than he bargains for at the Korean spa.



Here's a cool feature film project that's asking for some crowdfunding support... Writer/director Andrew Ahn's Spa Night is a indie coming-of-age drama about a closeted Korean American teenager who follows his desires and finds more than he bargains for at the Korean spa. The film's Kickstarter campaign is winding down and they're making a final push for help from the community to make it happen.

Here's a video of Andrew explaining a little background on the film:

"Are You Asian and Don't Want To Be?"

All these years later, this fake billboard keeps making the rounds.



Feeling the need to post this, since an old meme seems to have popped up and is making the rounds again... Every couple of months, and once again within in the last week or so, I've recently seen several people post this photo with the expected levels of exasperation, usually in the realm of "WTF? Have you seen this?"

As a public service, let's make it clear: this image is at least seven years old, and it's fake.

Asian Pride Project presents Our Portraits, Our Families

June 13 - July 13 at the Museum of Chinese in America



If you're in New York City, the Asian Pride Project invites you Our Portraits, Our Families, a group photography exhibition of Asian Pacific Islander lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer family narratives. It's running June 13 through July 13 at the Museum of Chinese in America.

Here are some more details about the exhibition:

Cecilia Chung named 'Woman of the Year' by California Assembly

Assemblyman Phil Ting honors transgender health advocate and civil rights leader



Congratulations to transgender health advocate and civil rights leader Cecilia Chung, who was one of three transgender women recognized by the California state Assembly this week as part of the Legislature's "Woman of the Year" celebration, honoring their important work towards breaking down barriers and fighting for equality.

Transgender activists named 'Woman of the Year'

During the annual Woman of the Year celebration, a woman from each Assembly District is honored in the State Capitol. On Monday, Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) honored Chung, who was introduced on the Assembly Floor and received a resolution recognizing her achievements.

Chung is currently a senior advisor for the Transgender Law Center, a health commissioner at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. She also plays a leadership role in international organizations, including the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) and the Sero Project. Her notable "firsts" include:

LGBT organizations will march in Orange County Tet parade

Community members vote to include formerly barred groups in this year's celebration

Victory in Orange County! After prohibiting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from participating in last year's Tet parade, the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California voted this weekend to allow LGBT organizations to march in this year's upcoming festivities.

LGBT Orgs Cleared to March in 2014 Tet Parade

On Saturday, federation members voted 51-36 to allow LGBT organizations to take part in the 2014 Tet Festival in Westminster, scheduled for February 1. The vote comes after an earlier vote, held last year, barring the organizations from the 2014 festival. The re-vote was scheduled following a meeting between federation leadership and community members last month.

Supporters are calling the decision historic: