2023
Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS)
Table of Contents 3 5 6 8 12 19
About Pinkdot TO What’s for dinner? Performers Bio Community Partners: Exhibitors Fabulous Items for Sale for Our Pha Funds Fundraising Thank You
About Pinkdot TO! What exactly is Pink Dot? Is it what you cover up on your face with makeup? Is it what you try to clean out of your clothes after a highlighter explodes? Or is it those bits of strawberry in your ice cream? It’s a movement for equity for LGBTQIA+ folks that centers around Asian folks! It started in Singapore, spread worldwide, and eventually to Toronto in 2014. We get to have our very own Pink Dot in T-Dot! In 2019, we reformatted the event as a talent night to empower our creative community members to share their talents and passion on stage. It’s a space where Asian LGBTQIA+ folks can showcase their talents, speak up, and shine! Because, really, where are we in all of the LGBTQIA+ spaces? Well, we’re right here! Lesbian, gay, trans, gender non-conforming, bi, pan, intersex, ace, aro, and anyone else who doesn’t fit into this cisnormative heteronormative world is more than welcome here! So are friends, families, and allies!
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This is our second year TD Bank Group, and Viiv partnered with us to host the event. We paused for a couple of years in hosting in-person events, including PinkDot TO, because of the pandemic. Last year, we made a comeback and about 270 guests celebrated with us at Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant. It was a great success! Aside from the fun and fabulous program we have prepared for PinkDot TO, this year, we also would like to commemorate several upcoming events for ACAS, including a presentation to commemorate World AIDS Day, celebrating the retirement of our beloved and wonderful executive director Noulmook Suthdibasilp, to name a few. It would also be a good time for us to let our members and supporters know that we are turning 30 in a few months!
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What’s for dinner?
Appetizer Cart: Vegetarian spring roll Shrimp dumpling Two kind of meat dumpling Pan fried shrimp cake
Buffet Menu: Deep fried tofu Deep friend slat and pepper shrimp Deep fried chicken Stir fried green bean Stir fried mix vegetables Stir fried beef with black bean sauce Vegetables fried rice Bean sprout fried noodle
Desserts: Deep fried sesame ball Mango pudding CASH BAR: Local beer - $9 Import beer - $10 Cocktail - $11
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Performers Bio
Sofonda Sofonda is one of a kind entertainment. She has toured the globe, performing exciting, energy filled shows in Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil and all over North and South America, acting as a fixture of Prism, Fly nightclub and part of Toronto pride for the past 14 years. She is also a charming hostess and a talented cabaret performer, who has been coined as Canada's foremost Beyonce impersonator. Additionally, Sofonda adds to her belt appearances in both film and television, including the highly acclaimed Queer As Folk, Soldier's Girl, Cake and has appeared on exclusive appearances on Entertainment Tonight Canada, the most watched Entertainment news in the world. To Top it off she recently won OUTtv/ Rupaul's Drag Race Canada's Lip Synch video contest! She is truly, Sexy, Sassy and Sensational. Destiny Doll Destiny Doll is a mesmerizing electric drag performer known for her captivating stage presence, exceptional beauty, and undeniable talent. Destiny Doll is an Asian sensation, persuasion, and temptation. From the house of Doll, she is proud to represent her culture and deliver the most enchanting elegance, leaving all spectators in awe. Destiny Doll continues to inspire and entertain with her passion for drag, making a mark on this world.
Sofonda
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Destiny Doll
Justin Anantawan
Justin Anantawan Justin Anantawan is a recent graduate of the social service work program at George Brown College. He completed his internship at Asian Community AIDS Services and is grateful for all the love and support he received there while working. He would like to continue doing outreach in the field of HIV/AIDS. Apart from this, he is also a church choir director, teacher and fashion photographer. Lena Di Lena is the Vietnamese dancing Đĩ-va of Toronto, she is an electric performer with stunts and tricks that will gag you. It is guaranteed a fun time when Lena is on the stage. Vale Vale is a queer, mixed-race weirdo from Mississauga, now living in Toronto. They work in the non-profit sphere by day, and play D&D by night. As a comedian, Vale has brought the laughs to various comedy and variety shows since 2016. They enjoy weird electronic music, fashion, noodle soup, and queer open mics. MS.G She's sweet, sour, and a little bit spicy... She’s your forbidden spice! MS.G is Toronto's one and only umami drag queen! MS.G's serves a whole lot of raunchy and sentimental with a side of sexy. She’s also the lil sis of the Kunst Kids Drag Collective. She has performed for Pride Toronto, New Ho Queen, Reel Asian Film Festival, Queens of Dim Sum and more. Soak up that umami flavour on your tongue! Find her on IG @ms.ggggggg
Lena Di
Vale
MS.G
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Community Partners: Exhibitors
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MUKA Instagram: hellomuka We are a small company of four artists and life-long friends with big dreams. In 2018, we founded MUKA with one goal in mind: to create more opportunities for LGBTQ+ BIPoC and AAPI communities to see themselves represented in authentic and nuanced ways. We believe diversity should be respected and celebrated, creative expression is our most powerful ability as humans and that art has the power to inspire positive change in the world. We are building a future where all culture, skin colours and gender expressions are celebrated, where businesses like ours thrive by valuing creativity and respecting artists. We hope you will find something that makes you feel confident and joyful in being unapologetically yourself here at MUKA. 9
Hope Leads Mental Health Care website: hopeleads.ca Hope Leads Mental Health Care provides holistic mental health care that is empowering, kind, hopeful and flexible. As a Black and Filipino owned virtual psychotherapy and counselling service in Ontario, Hope Leads strives to center the experiences of diverse communities across the gender spectrum, while practicing anti-racist, intersectional, sex positive and anti-oppressive approaches to caring for your mental health. Hope Leads values building meaningful connections, embracing discomfort, and fostering community care. They also provide mental health workshops, program consultation, group psychotherapy and healing circles, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression Trainings. To learn more, visit www.hopeleads.ca. B.Jiang Email: hello@brian-jiang.ca Brian Jiang (they/she) is a queer trans multi-disciplinary artist of Chinesedescent based in Tkaronto. Her practice comprises of animation, illustration, painting, graphic design and beyond. Brian graduated from OCADU’s illustration program in 2020. As an artist collaborator working within the cultural sector, their arts- practice is informed by their love for the communities that they belong to. Brian’s work draws upon mythology, the natural world, and lived experiences to explore the ties between identity, diasporic migration, kinship, and ecological connections. She has been commissioned by Pride Toronto, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, Xpace Cultural Centre, Maisonneauve Magazine, LinkedIn StreetARToronto and more. Her work can be found at @_brianjiang. Tammy Lamkhong Pita Thai Massage Thai healing massage expert Jenny Ma Email: jennyjhma@yahoo.com Hello everyone! I am Jenny. My life's mantra is to be happy every, don't put pressure on yourself, don't miss every opportunity to eat, drink and have fun. This is who I am now. Dento Dream Foods Facebook and Instagram: @dentodreamfoods Dento Dream Foods is one Queer Trans Asian Man’s mission to create food that makes you go WHOA. With a large catalogue of what he is capable of, the ability to go with the flow, and 15 years experience in the food industry… we believe in eating and in eating fabulously!
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Something Nice Supply Instagram: @somethingnicesupply Something nice supply is a queer, Asian, female owned small business that explores the design of pins, patches, and small apparel aimed to spark joy and emotional expression. Charlie's Angle Instagram: @cipherwei A Portraits and Pets photographer. With a decade-long set in creating commercials and content in the marketing and design industry, Charlie is a woman of many talents. It is evidenced by her extensive work with various clients, including Nestlé, Wrigley, Johnson & Johnson, and Samsung. Having worn hats of all during her career, Charlie has hands-on experience as a TV commercial director, photographer, columnist, and animal behaviour therapist. She is wearing a new hat as a new Community and Justice Services graduate student. Recently, the Canada Council rewarded her with the title of New/ Early Career Artist. All these roles inspire her to discover how to serve from a fresh perspective and to integrate her studies and life experiences into a lively, quick-witted background. Charlie had an art exhibit show in the TPL Yorkville branch in 2023. Her camera is more than a tool; it is an enchanted key to unlock the depths of human and pet emotions. With an inspired glint in their eye, she brings forth portraits that whisper secrets and shout joy, revealing the authentic beauty that lies within each individual. Charlie's photographs are a passage into another dimension, where every frame narrates a unique story. Each click of the shutter is a promise to preserve love, laughter, and life itself. StyledByMissTrish website: styledbymisstrish.com Professional Makeup Artist + Hair + Fashipon Stylist + Image Consultant & Fairy godmother medsEXPERT Clinic + Pharmacy website: medsexpert.ca At medsEXPERT Clinic + Pharmacy, our mission is to provide a safe-space for everyone - especially our LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and HIV+ communities. medsEXPERT aims to provide an inclusive, stigma-free, and sex-positive care environment for all, through our full-service pharmacies and our PrEP, PEP, and HIV specialists. Our flagship location is still the only queer-owned healthcare service in Toronto’s LGBTQ+ Village and our new location on Queer West is bringing that service even further!
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FABULOUS ITEMS FOR SALE FOR OUR PHA FUNDS FUNDRAISING
For almost 30 years now, providing supportive services for PHAs or people living with HIV/AIDS has been one of the core programs at ACAS. We work hard to ensure that we can sustain and maintain all the services of our Support Program. We are all going through tough times, and funding for AIDS services organizations is slimming down. And we at ACAS diligently work to help maintain and sustain our PHA funds for our programming. Every item featured in this section is for sale at the listed price and can be purchased instantly. Should you donate on top of your item purchase, please inform one of the staff at the exhibitor's area. For convenience, you can also email Trisha at volunteer@acas.org to request a tax receipt. When purchasing these featured items, we accept all major credit cards, including debit cards. Some items are available for cash and carry; we can arrange to deliver the oversized items. We thank you in advance for your support and hope you will enjoy your new fabulous item. 12
Intricate Vase Height: 24 inches Value $275 Asking price $200
Dimensions: 33 * 48 inches Value $500 Asking price $425
Dimensions: 27 * 28 inches Value $250 Asking price $200 13
Dimensions: 19 * 25 inches Value $420 Asking price $380 About the artist: Charmaine Olivia is a self-taught fine art painter born in Southern California in 1988. She was raised by deeply spiritual parents who started teaching her yoga and meditation when she was four years old. Charimaine began oil painting at seven years old and has been a professional artist since she was 17. Growing up she spent the summers in the mountains at meditation camp studying intuition, metaphysics, and scientific methods of meditation. Spirituality and mysticism is a heavy influence in her art and her life. She is aware there is more to this physical world that we can see with our eyes, and uses painting as a means to explore these other dimensions of mind and thought. Charmaine Olivia is seeking to explore who we are as conscious begins in the universe, and the role color, emotion, and self-discovery play in living a harmonious, fulfilled life. She believes that every being is an artist in their own way, and allowing that creative spark to express itself is virtual for the future world we want to create. Her illustrations, photographs and paintings have appeared in publications, museums, galleries and private collections all over the world. Some of her clients and projects include Urban Outfitters, Lady Gaga, Hallmark, Volcom Stone, Vans Shoes, Element, Nylon Magazine and Burton. 14
Dimensions: 30 * 28 inches Value $250 Asking price $200
Handmade woven scarf. Size:74 (include end threads 83 inches) * 7.5 inches Value $100 Asking Price $85
Swarovski Crystal Wildlife Ornaments - Koala Height: 2.4 inches (left) 2 inches (right) Retail price estimated at around $125 each Asking price $170 (set) 15
Swarovski Crystal Pyramids Height: 2.2 inches (left) 2.3 inches (right) Retail price estimated at around $125 each Asking price $170 (set)
Swarovski Crystal Wildlife Ornaments Dog and Mushroom Height: 1.5 inches (left) 1.2 inches (right) Retail price estimated at around $125 each Asking price $170 (set)
Swarovski Crystal Wildlife Ornaments Puffer Fish, Bear, Turtle, Elephant, & Pig Height: 1 inch (Puffer fish) 1.8 inches (Bear) 0.8 inches (Turtle) 2.2 inches (Elephant) 1.6 inches (Pig) Retail price estimated at around $125 each Asking price $370 (set) 16
Swarovski Crystal Wildlife Ornaments Hedgehog, Crow, Frog, & Rhinoceros Height: 1 inch (Hedgehog) 2.2 inches (Crow) 1.2 inches (Frog) 1.3 inches (Rhinoceros) Retail price estimated at around $125 each Asking price $370 (set)
Dimensions: 28 * 38 inches Value $400 Asking price $320
In Dreams’ Original painting - with frame Original pastel drawing by Dorothy Palse/Waddell in gold frame Dimensions: 25 * 32 inches Value $600 Asking price $500 17
Timothy Swift Unknown Artist Dimensions: 13 * 15 inches Value $300 Asking price $220
Home decoration Made in Thailand Dimensions: 23 * 4 inches 2 pieces Value $110 Asking price $80
Buddhist Lotus Diameter: 11 inches Value $65 Asking price $50 18
Thank You.
MAJOR SPONSOR TD PARTIAL SPONSOR Viiv Healthcare Our long term individual donors: Dr. Alan Li Andre Goh Dedicated Volunteers, Community Members And Board of Directors Community Partners: B.Jiang Charlie’s Angle Dento Dream Foods Hope Leads Mental Health Care Jenny Ma Calligraphy medsExpert MUKA Somehting Nice Supply StyledByMissTrish Tammy Lamkhong Pita Thai Massage Moss Park Special Thanks To: Mayor Olivia Chow Coun. Christopher Moise
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Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) 260 Spadina Ave, Suite 410 Toronto Ontario, M5T 2E4, Canada E-mail: info@acas.org Phone: (416) 963-4300 Fax: (416) 963-4371 Toll-free numbers: 1-877-630-2227 CHARITABLE NUMBER 889432431 RR001 MAJOR SPONSOR
PARTIAL SPONSOR
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