CATCHING UP WITH BY DIRK SMITH, SDLT (HE/HIM/HIS) Dirk Smith: I am joined today by Amazin LêThi. Thanks for joining me today. Please introduce yourself for our readers. Amazin LêThi: Thank you for having me. I'm an LGBTQIA+ activist/advocate, former competitive bodybuilder, keynote speaker, author and global ambassador to six organizations, five of them sports related, including Athlete Ally; Stonewall; Copenhagen 2021; Pride House Birmingham; Commonwealth Games and Gay Games. The sixth one is Vietnam Relief Services, an organization to support poor communities in Vietnam. DS: Please tell us more about your involvement with Vietnam Relief Services, why you wanted to work with that organization? AL: Well, I'm Vietnamese so it’s close to my heart in terms of an organization that wants to help marginalized communities, particularly in North Vietnam to provide medical needs and education for kids. DS: You and I have been working together for a couple years, not only to tell your story and the work you're doing but also to help expand perspectives on Asian LGBTQIA+ athletes voices and stories. We collaborated on some things for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) and for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We just posted one yesterday about the Asian cultural influence on Western sports. Can you tell me more about your perspective and experience on that front? AL: Looking at the history of Western sports, Asian sports have been a massive influence on the West. We’re the most populous community in the world and it's obvious that we would have huge amounts of influence when it comes to Western sports. But you know, we just don't have influence when it comes to representation. It's not just about seeing what sports we have in the East and think what we can add to the Olympics. It's also about how you involve Asian athletes in your sports, particularly in Western countries where we're the fastest growing community in all the Western countries.
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