NQAPIA 2015 THRIVING TOGETHER: QUEER APIs BUILDING COMMUNITY, SOLIDARITY, MOVEMENT.
NQAPIA National Conference
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Family Acceptance “Family is Still Family” National Week of Action on Immigrants’ Rights
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THANK YOU!
Table of Contents
NQAPIA Supporters
Anonymous Alphawood Foundation Arcus Foundation Common Counsel Foundation David Bohnett Foundation Ford Foundation Four Freedoms Fund/ Public Interest Projects Lloyd A. Fry Foundation Our Tomorrow Toyota Financial Services Walter and Evelyn Haas, Jr. Fund
LGBT Asian/South Asian Lawyer Receptions in NY, SF, & DC Pg 9 - 10 Community Catalyst Awards
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Regional Roundup & Immigration Update Financial Statement & About NQAPIA
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Stay in Touch! NQAPIA 233 Fifth Avenue Suite 4A New York, NY 10016
NQAPIA Team:
NQAPIA 1322 18th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Glenn D. Magpantay, Executive Director Sasha W., Organizing Director Ryan Viloria, Conference Coordinator Linda Le, Bookkeeper Christina Adams, Program Assistant Janani Balasubramanian, Social Media Consultant Roberta Sklar, Media Consultant Mia Nakano, Website/Tech Consultant
www.nqapia.org
www.facebook.com/nqapia
NQAPIA Staff and Consultants
NQAPIA Board of Directors youtube.com/user/nqapia info@nqapia.org @nqapia #nqapia2015 nqapia.tumblr.com
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www.linkedin.com/groups/ National-Queer-Asian -Pacific-Islander-4673352
Vivian Fried-Chung, San Francisco, CA Stan Fong, Atlanta, GA August Guang, Providence, RI Providence Youth & Student Movement Almas Haider, Washington, DC Shivana Jorawar, Washington, DC National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Kevin Lam, Boston, MA Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth Kham Moua, Washington, DC OCA APA Advocates Eri Oura, Oakland, CA / Honolulu, HI Aya Tasaki, New York, NY Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law **Affiliations for identification purposes only.
NQAPIA National Table Conference, Chicago IL of Contents
Thriving Together:
Queer APIs Building Community, Solidarity, and Movement During the weekend of August 6-9, over 360 AAPI LGBTQ people and allies came to Chicago for the 2015 NQAPIA National Conference: Thriving Together. Participants came from 20 states and Washington, DC and as far away as Saipan, Ontario, and Nepal to build community, solidarity, and movement. “It has been an eye-opening and invigorating experience[,] and I feel so lucky to have met and networked among so many like-minded community members and leaders. There have been countless takeaways in the form of networks, friendships, and role models that have helped to keep me focused on my respective community organizations and projects.” Over 100 workshops covered issues such as immigrants’ rights, international issues, gender justice, health and wellness, and media representation. Organizational skills-building workshops covered fundraising, community outreach, board development, and grassroots organizing, as well as personal and professional development. “The workshops helped me walk away with new tools and ideas about policy change, legislation, organizational structures, and organizing strategies that will help inform the current work I’m doing in my non-profit organization.”
“I’ve learn[ed] so much, especially on Trans issues as well as . . . [h]ow to build a successful support group for eople of transgender experience.” On Thursday, there were special Pre-Conference Convenings: Queer South Asian National Network (QSANN), Parents of LGBTQ AAPIs, and the Network for Religion and Justice (NRJ). There, specific constituencies were able to share information, connect, and identify potential projects for ongoing work. “The NQAPIA conference was further confirmation why, as parents, it is so important to show our love and support for our children. Our children need to know and experience our unconditional love and support.” “NQAPIA transformed my relationship with my mother who attended the [Parents of LGBTQ AAPIs Pre-Conference Convening].” The Welcome Reception featured Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu opening the space to attendees with a traditional Hawaiian Oli. Conference emcee Kit Yan took the stage where NQAPIA Board Chair Bex Ahuja, Joy Messinger of i2i, and Jay Nair of Trikone-Chicago greeted everyone. Geneva Musgrave of Lambda Legal also gave welcoming remarks. Local comic Fawzia Mirza provided laughs, and NQAPIA Conference Coordinator Ryan Viloria delivered the weekend review of logistics.
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NQAPIA National Conference, Chicago IL Conference Sponsors
At Friday’s Opening Plenary, NQAPIA Executive Director Glenn D. Magpantay gave introductory remarks. Then, the Racial Justice Panel explored the positionality of Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders as people of color; addressed anti-Black racism amongst AAPI communities; and AAPI support of #BlackLivesMatter. Panelists included Soya Jung of Model Minority Mutiny; Sasha W., NQAPIA Organizing Director and founding member of Queer South Asian National Network; Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Kanaka maoli teacher and cultural practitioner; and Joo-Hyun, Director of Communities United for Police Reform. The panel was moderated by Mathilda de Dios of the Free Write Jail Arts & Literacy Program in Chicago.
Diamond Alphawood Foundation Gold Ford Foundation Jade The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation Toyota Financial Services Lotus HealthLink at CenterLink TransJustice Funding Project Weston Milliken
Saturday’s Opening Plenary featured a Trans Justice panel that discussed and explored intersections of racial and trans justice, surveyed trans advocacy and rights and policy issues, addressed violence against trans people, and celebrated the accomplishments of trans people. Panelists included Andy Marra, Communications Coordinator for Arcus Foundation; Willy Wilkinson, author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender; Eli Chi, Chinese-Cuban American born queer and trans organizer; and Shaktii Mann from the YA-YA Network. The panel was moderated by Sam Hsieh of i2i: Chicago.
Jasmine Advocates for Youth Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Ignatius Bau Lambda Legal Liberty Hill Foundation National LGBTQ Task Force RockIt Ranch Productions PFLAG San Gabriel Valley API Common Counsel Foundation Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
The Arts & Cultural Community Show featured performers such as spoken word artist Kit Yan, dancers Lovish & Mahi, the burlesque troupe Femme FATales, and a surprise performance by Midwestern comic Chong Moua! The show was emceed by local actor and producer Edward Vera. Sunday’s Closing Brunch kicked off with Pongmuul youth drummers from KRCC. Sasha W. and NQAPIA board member Kevin Lam then discussed the work of building a queer AAPI movement. Lastly, Sal Salam of Trikone Chicago and JJ Ueunten of i2i gave their thanks to the crowd for coming to the conference.
Supporters A&PI Wellness Center Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (national) Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy Chicago Chapter George Cheung Ken Ohashi Our Tomorrow PepsiCo Seattle Pride Foundation San Gabriel Valley API PFLAG
To demonstrate solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Sasha W. led 200 attendees in a show of support. This visual action signified a commitment to undoing anti-Black racism at home. 2
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August 6 - 9, 2015 in Chicago, IL Outcomes & Next Steps NQAPIA held a member group meeting to plan collaborative future work: In Immigrant Rights, we are launching a campaign around the impact of racial profiling, PEP (the program that replaced Secure Communities), detention, and deportation. We will be lifting up the stories of API immigrants with profiling and urging DHS to curtail profiling in enforcement. Our Racial Justice work is focused on political education. NQAPIA is launching programs in three cities: Seattle, Minneapolis, and Chicago. We will work with local queer API organizations to develop a toolkit around queer API solidarity with Black Lives Matter and Black-led organizing. Ideally, each of these trainings will set the stage for ongoing solidarity work in each city.
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The Trans* Justice committee decided on a national convening of trans* and gender non-conforming API people, as well as developing a toolkit and curriculum to make LGBT API organizations more trans* inclusive. We will pilot this toolkit in three cities.
What Folks Had to Say: As a result of the conference, Trikone-Chicago will be including a specific clause around trans inclusivity within our mission statement and requiring gender-neutral restrooms for all events where possible.
The workshop on “Building Movement through One-on-One Conversations,” showed me how to initiate a “1-1” with a volunteer, and my ask resulted in four additional hours of help with the database.
Helped motivate GAPIMNY to create a Wikipedia page, strengthening our online presence.
California attendees met at a caucus and agreed to work together around the potential anti-trans ballot initiative.
We have started a support group at our local church that we hope to expand into a larger, regional group at some point in the future.
I learned how to ask for individual donations for my nonprofit in the “More $$$, More Power” workshop. I utilized this skill on-site and received a $20 donation for my organization.
Photo Credit: Sarah Jane Rhee, Corky Lee FROM L-R, Top to bottom: 1. Workshop Drumming to Raise Voices. 2. Welcome by Jay Nair, Trikone Chicago, Joy Messinger, i2i and Bex Ahuja, NQAPIA Board Chair. 3. Fawzia Mirza from NBC’s Chicago Fire. 4. Emcee Kit Yan 5. Opening Oli by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. 6. The men of AQUA-DC and GAPIMNY. 6. Workshop on Grassroots Fundraising. 7. Workshop on Family Acceptance. 8. Glenn Murakami, father of two gay sons. 9. Registration table.
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Specifically, my organization built a stronger bond betwixt ourselves and formulated a plan to move locally in line with national movements. We are working on family acceptance support as a part of our local work and we would not have had access to the multi-lingual resources without NQAPIA.
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NQAPIA National Conference
Thriving Together with Parents Parents Join Together to Thrive at NQAPIA Gathering By Laurin Mayeno “We have just one life to lead as ourselves. Understand this, accept it and help ensure that you and each member of your family has the same privileges. Live and let live.” - Manjula Balakrishnan, mother of a transgender daughter As I flew into Chicago to join NQAPIA’s National Conference, I wondered what it would be like spending three full days with a group of Asian parents. I was there to take part in a series of activities organized by and for parents of LGBTQ children. Working with two fantastic moms, Marsha Aizumi and Clara Yoon, I had little doubt that we would be successful in our purpose: to bring parents together to connect with each other and become more involved in spreading our message of unconditional love for our children. To reach this goal, we organized a parent convening, 3 workshops, a parent team-building activity, and a caucus. We also participated in a photo shoot (link) with Asian Pride Project. The fourteen parents of LGBTQ children, an auntie, and an ally mom who came together included people of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese heritage. By the first afternoon, I found myself falling in love with the entire group. Each one of us had a story that conveyed our deeply held love for our children, often involving challenges in schools, with bullying, with other family members, in our churches, and within ourselves. We shared a deep commitment to make the world better, if not for our own children and families, but for others walking on similar paths. Our time together was made possible by the partnership between Asian American leaders in PFLAG and NQAPIA, as well as generous sponsorship from 5 Toyota Financial Services. We built upon the achieve-
ments of previous years, including a leaflet entitled “Family is Still Family” translated into 19 languages and a series of nine multilingual PSAs. We went away with a list of projects that we are enthusiastic to take on, including a leaflet to educate “clueless” parents about being transgender, an online resource center, a multilingual parent support network, a speaker’s bureau, training for parents on speaking and providing support, and a documentary featuring API fathers. “Experiencing the NQAPIA conference was a wonderful opportunity to grow, learn and expand my understanding of the challenges that LGBTQ individuals have to face every day. It was so inspiring to be a part of a movement that is stirring the hearts of so many people across the nation (and world). I would encourage all parents and allies of LGBTQ children to be a part of the next convening and to make a difference in your child’s life!” - Glenn Murakami, father of two gay sons Participating in many of the NQAPIA activities also made us feel a closer connection to the LGBTQ+ API community. NQAPIA Executive Director Glenn Magpantay’s welcoming speech brought many of us to tears. Our hearts and minds were expanded by plenary presentations on racial justice and transgender lives. We were deeply touched by the young, and not-so-young, LGBTQ APIs we met, including many whose parents are still not accepting. We were thrilled when Tad and Marsha Aizumi were honored, among other amazing leaders, at the Community Catalyst award dinner. When I arrived home, my Facebook feed was full of stories, posts, and friend requests. I know our friendships will only deepen as we continue to do what we are so passionate about—working for a world where all of our children will be loved, celebrated, and accepted. I’m glad that we have each other as we carry on. We are already dreaming about our next convening!
Televsion Public Service Announcements
Family is Still Family Love is still Love.
Asian Television Stations Air Public Service Announcements of Parents Who Love Their LGBT Kids. The PSAs reach 13.9 million viewers in 8 Asian languages and dialects. In the first media campaign of its kind, Asian parents broke a cycle of silence and shame to voice vunconditional love and support for their LGBT children in a series of Public Service Announcements. The PSAs were broadcast on Asian ethnic television stations throughout June for LGBT Pride Month. An accompanying leaflet, entitled “Family Is Still Family, Love Is Still Love,” addressed fundamental questions and common misconceptions about sexual orientation and identity. The leaflet is available in nineteen (19) Asian languages and scripts—the greatest number of translations of a single LGBT document. NQAPIA collaborated with the Asian Pride Project and parents to produce culturally appropriate materials in response to an absence of role models and resources for Asian communities. The campaign was particularly timely as the US Supreme Court considered marriage equality. According to a 2012 Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund report, only 37% of Asian Americans polled support same-sex marriage while nearly two thirds are opposed or undecided. The strongest opposition comes from those who are older and foreign-born with limited English proficiency—a common profile of Asian immigrant parents. “For Asian Americans, even though we can get married, who will come to the wedding? Marriage is much for than just rights but the acceptance of LGBT people in our families. What’s a right without the recognition?” NQAPIA aims to diversify the faces of parents who have LGBT kids and to promote understanding and acceptance.
The PSAs have aired on the following TV stations: KSCI-TV “LA18” (Los Angeles), KTSF (San Francisco Bay Area), Crossings TV (syndicated in New York, Chicago, Sacramento, and Fresno) and AAT-TV (Seattle). The videos featured an array of families and languages: > Deanna Cheng, a Chinese mother of a gay son in Mandarin with English subtitles > Rosetta Lai, a Chinese mother of a lesbian daughter in Cantonese with English subtitles Vinay Chaudhry, an Indian father of a genderqueer child in English with Hindi subtitles > Kamlesh and Harcharan Bagga, Indian parents of a gay son in Hindi with English subtitles > Korean with English subtitles - Clara Yoon, a Korean mother of a transgender son > Marsha and Tad Aizumi, Japanese parents of a transgender son in English with Japanese subtitles > Ha Nguyen, a Vietnamese mother of a transgender son in Vietnamese with English subtitles > Phanida Phivilay, a Lao mother of a lesbian daughter in English with Lao subtitles > Carol Mannion, a Filipina mother of a gay son in English with Tagalog subtitles Co-director Suma Reddy of Asian Pride Project states, “Our campaign not only empowers immigrant parents, but also LGBT youth struggling to come out to their families. We are raising the visibility of supportive Asian parents and family members, so they can act as catalysts for acceptance within their communities.” This effort was made possible by the generous support of the Arcus Foundation and David Bohnett Foundation.
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National Week of Action
“RiseUp!”
LGBT APIs Demand Immigrants’ Rights From April 12-18, 2015, NQAPIA launched “RiseUp!” a National Week of Action on Immigrants’ Rights. NQAPIA activated over a dozen LGBTQ API organizations arcoss the nation to highlight the needs and demands of immigrants. Communities from New Orleans and Philadelphia to New York and San Francisco hosted programs: > Promoting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program > Defending and demanding implementation of President Obama’s Immigration Executive Actions, which expanded DACA and created a new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) but was halted by a federal judge in Texas > Increasing awareness on the connections of immigration to the broader impact and the need to end racial and religious profiling > Calling to end the detention of vulnerable communities, including the LGBT communities > Urging to end deportations under the Cambodian Repatriation Act and to all countries until the U.S. implements human and civil rights for all communities Over 250 people participated in the events, and reaching another 1,000 people. Immigration enforcement has targeted so called “dangerous” or “terrorist” immigrants under the veil of profiling. Vulnerable LGBT communities have faced horrific circumstances in detention. Our communities, including Cambodian refugees, have faced on-going deportation 7 to countries from which they took refuge.
According to Glenn D. Magpantay, NQAPIA Executive Director, “LGBT AAPIs are rising up to demand an end to racial and religious profiling, detention of vulnerable communities, and deportations.” During the Week of Action, NQAPIA highlighted the stories of LGBT people: > Maya Jafer, a transgender woman who was profiled and apprehended by TSA when entering the country by her then legal last name Mohammad > Linda Khoy, whose sister is a legal permanent resident and in deportation proceedings to Cambodia for simply holding ecstasy pills as a teenager for her friends > Noel Bordador, a Christian Minister who was undocumented and benefited from the last federal legalization program in 1986 and has gone on to serve people with AIDS/HIV. > Tony Choi, a young person who participated in DACA and is now an LGBT activist. Their stories and many others can be found at NQAPIA’s website. NQAPIA hosted two phone banks to build awareness on DACA/DAPA. Pabitra Benjamin, NQAPIA’s former Organizing Director, said, “It is a critical time. Congress’ actions have only hurt immigrant families and the President’s actions have been delayed while communities continue to be targeted under harsh enforcement. NQAPIA is working with our members around the country to continue fighting for relief while we protect the most vulnerable of our communities from racial and religious profiling, detention, and deportations.”
April 12 - 18, 2015 Across the nation, NQAPIA members and partners had Risen Up for immigrant rights: San Francisco, CA: API Equality-Northern C alifornia hosted a StoryCorps recordings of LGBT AAPI immigrants, and Trikone hosted a conversation on immigration.
Chicago, IL: i2i’s educational forum reviewed immigration changes since the Executive Action, and Trikone hosted a conversation on colorism and immigration.
Los Angeles, CA: Satrang hosted a speaker on DACA/DAPA at their annual Kadai.
Providence, RI: PrYSM hosted a conversation with Southeast Asian youth on the effects of deportation.
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Boston, MA: QAPA screened the movie “Documented” with an educational panel at MIT. New York City, NY: NQAPIA held a speak-out with press at the Federal Court of Appeals to protest racial and religious profiling, detention, and the Texas lawsuit challenging Executive Action.
NQAPIA is working with our members around the country to continue fighting for relief while we protect the most vulnerable of our communities from racial and religious profiling, detention, and deportations.
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Pabaltra Benjamin
Former NQAPIA Organizing Director
New Orleans, LA: VAYLA organized a press conference at the Federal Courthouse to protest Gov. Jindal’s support of the lawsuit to stop Obama’s Immigration Executive Actions. Also, YouthQuest at VAYLA hosted a two-day workshop. Day 1 helped young people understand immigration issues and deportation policies with story circles, while Day 2 connected their personal experiences to immigration and deportation.
Washington, DC: AQUA, Khush, APIQ Sisters, Gabriela USA and NQAPIA hosted two phone banks to build awareness on DACA/ DAPA. Atlanta, GA: In Atlanta, NQAPIA with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta hosted a conversation on the immigration movement and current state of queer activism in the South.
Philadelphia, PA: HotPot!, NQAPIA, and 1LoveMovement screened “Documented” with an educational panel at LeeWay Foundation. There, attendees could explore the exhibit RELEASE, featuring art from those incarcerated connecting immigration to issues criminal justice.
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LGBT Asian American/South Asian Lawyers Receptions 1
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FROM L-R, Top to bottom: 1. San Francisco Reception. 2. NYC Commission on Human Rights Chair Carmelyn P. Malalis and Sonia Lin. 3. Buckley Yung, Stephanie Hsu and guest at NY Reception. 4. Davis Wright Partner Sanjay Nangia, Dean Frank H. Wu, AABA Kelly Matayoshi. 5. Rosetta Lai & Congresswoman Grace Meng. 6. Skadden Partner Dwight Yoo, AABANY President William Wang, Legal Matt Skinner, Carmelyn P. Malalis, Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, Glenn D. Magpantay, and Sonia Lin. On October 22nd, 26th, and 29th, in Washington DC, New York City, and San Francisco, nearly 200 members of the bar “came out” to celebrate the diversity within the LGBT and Asian American and South Asian communities. The event was jointly sponsored by LGBT and APA lawyers associations and law firms. Partners and associates at corporate firms, government attorneys, solo practitioners, small firms, and public interest lawyers enjoyed these back-to-back-to-back networking receptions in three cities. The events raised money for NQAPIA’s legal referral program for LGBT AAPI undocumented immigrants, young people, and organizations. At all three receptions, accomplished attorneys talked about the need for diversity and the importance of giving back. In Washington, DC, Congresswoman Grace Meng stopped by to say, “I’m sure we can all celebrate the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to legalize gay marriage this past June; however, there is still work to be done to preserve and extend protections for the LGBTQ 9 community. I am working hard to do just that.” Gaurab
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Bansal, the Deputy Secretary of The White House Cabinet, also recounted the achievements of the administration and future efforts. In New York City, Carmelyn P. Malalis, who was appointed Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights by Mayor Bill de Blasio, talked about her transition from private practice to government and the need for mentors. In San Francisco, Frank H. Wu, the Chancellor and Dean of University of California Hastings College of Law, commented that oftentimes in firms, “everyone in the Asian affinity group is straight, and everyone in the LGBT affinity group is white. LGBT people, like Asian Americans, are strangers from a different shore.” Bridge building between both communities is essential. Their remarks were followed by special video screenings of NQAPIA’s immigrants’ rights work and pro bono opportunities. Special thanks go to Alston & Bird in Washington, DC; Davis Wright Tremaine in San Francisco; and Skadden, Arps in New York City; for hosting the receptions and to all the co-sponsors for making the each event possible.
October 22 - 29, 2015
Thank You to Our Sponsors! DIAMOND
GOLD SILVER
GOLD SILVER
BRONZE
BRONZE
Bar Association Sponsors
Legal Sponsors
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area Asian American Bar Association of New York Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Greater Washington, DC Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom Korean American Lawyer Association of Greater New York LeGaL – The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York National Asian Pacific American Bar Association National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance South Asian Bar Association of New York South Asian Bar Association of Northern California South Asian Bar Association of Washington DC
ACLU Foundation of Northern California Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Clifford Chance LLP
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NQAPIA Community Catalyst Awards
New York City The Community Catalyst Awards banquet dinner celebrated groups and leaders who have improved the lives of LGBTQ AAPIs. This year, the New York awards went to Dennis Chin former co-chair of GAPIMNY; Clara Yoon, proud mother of a transgender son; and Gabriela USA, an international organization working against the oppression of Filipino women. Comedian Jes Tom emceed, and there were special performances by Kristian Espiritu from the musical “Here Lies Love” and songwriter and composer Melissa Li. Community Catalyst Sponsors Center for Social Inclusion Gay Men’s Health Crisis Community Catalyst Planning Committee Apphia Kumar, Stephanie Hsu, Glenn D. Magpantay, Eli Rhee, Kit Yan, Ryan Shen, Piali Mukherjee. Photo Credit: Corky Lee 1
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Community Catalyst Host Committee Anonymous Amit Bagga Asiamerica Ministries of the Episcopal Church Aya Tasaki & Kit Yan Bex Ahuja CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Center for Social Inclusion Clara and Jang Hyeog Yoon - API Project Cynthia Jung Emy & Rudy Magpantay Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York Gay Men’s Health Crisis Goldman, Sachs & Co. Kevin Nadal PhD Lambda Legal Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens Mark Ro Beyersdorf Maya Iwata PFLAG NYC Phillip Ozaki Phillippa and Minji Ro-Thomson Q-WAVE SALGA Virginia Ng Winnie Lee & Jane Chung FROM L-R, Top to bottom: 1. Honoree Clara Yoon 2. Honoree Dennis Chin 3. Emcee Jes Tom 4. Actor Kristian Espiritu from “Here Lies Love” and songwriter Melissa Li 5, over 300 guests 6. Honoree Gabriela USA
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March and August, 2015
Chicago The Community Catalyst Awards banquet dinner celebrated groups and leaders who have improved the lives of LGBTQ AAPIs. This year the Chicago awards went to Marsha and Tad Aizumi, proud parents of a transgender son; Freedom Inc, an organization dedicated to ending violence against people of color, and local Chicago unsung s/ heros I Li Hsiao and Liz Thomson. Maulik Pancholy of NBC’s 30 Rock emceed the night’s festivities. 1
Community Catalyst Host Committee Community Catalyst Host Committee Joy Messinger Friends of I Li Hsiao Friends of Phil Ozaki Karen Su Jing Zhang, Asian Human Services Tad and Marsha Aizumi 3
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FROM L-R, Top to bottom: 1. Glenn Magpantay with Awardees Marsha and Tad Aizumi, Freedom Inc., Liz Thomson, I Li Hsiao. 2. Bex Ahuja, NQAPIA Board Chair and guests. 3. Staff Glenn D. Magpantay and Christina Adams. 4. Cultural dance by Lee Na-Moo. 5. SALGA-NYC. 6. Maulik Pancholy from NBC’s 30 Rock. 7. Lance Toma API Wellness Cenrer. 8. Planning Committee members Ro Truong and Kim Nguyen, and Stan Fong looks on 9. Honorees Zon Moua and Keyleb Her Freedom Inc., Madison, WI
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Regional Roundup Los Angeles, CA: On November 7th, Satrang’s18th annual gala awarded Bupendra Ram with the 2015 Visionary Award, honoring his work around undocumented LGBTQ South Asians. The 2015 Ally Award was given to South Asian Bar Association’s Public Interest Foundation, for their continued support to the Satrang community. Over 100 people in attended. Madison, WI: Freedom Inc. and Young Gifted and Black launched their “Free the 350” campaign, where they engaged hundreds of people in a campaign to free 350 Black people, incarcerated for crimes of poverty, from Dane County jail. Seattle, WA: After a multi-year hiatus, Trikone NW is now back in with monthly events including potlucks and Trikone Speaks support group meetings. Washington, DC: In August, the AQUA DC and GAPIMNY Boards held a joint retreat to facilitate a dialogue between the two organizations. Board members discussed their personal involvement, org missions, and how to connect membership with missions. Boston, MA: On October 24th, QAPA & MASALA joined forces to host a halloween mela! With 40 people in attendance, they created a safe space for LGBTQ AAPI people to party, build community, and respectfully celebrate halloween. New York, NY: On November 14th, SALGA-NYC hosted a Free Immigration Clinic, in collaboration with the AABANY Immigration and LGBT Committees and NQAPIA. Volunteer attorneys provided pro bono legal advice on DACA, legalization, adjustment of status, asylum, and visas to a dozen community members.
Immigration Update After listening to our LGBTQ API members, NQAPIA launched our campaign against profiling in immigration enforcement. The Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s new program for local and national immigration enforcement, promises to profile people based on suspected threat to national security, suspicion of terrorism, and gang affiliation. PEP claims to be a “more humane” form of Secure Communities (S-Comm), but we know it’s just more profiling under a different name. We know that PEP cannot keep us safe, when our communities are continuously profiled and harassed by law enforcement and immigration agents alike. Our South Asian, Southeast Asian, API, and people of color fam have been profiled and criminalized enough. As we watch DACA+ and DAPA get held up in federal court, our communities continue to be profiled, detained, deported, and taken away from our families. NQAPIA is organizing to tell DHS Secretary Johnson NO profiling in immigration enforcement.
Join us to say that the Priority Enforcement 13 Program (PEP) is profiling!
2014 Financial Statement Income
Expenses Foundation Grants (75%)
Direct Program (76%)
Sponsorship (9%)
Administration (13%)
Individual Contributions (9%)
Fundraising (11%)
Special Events (7%)
Revenue
Operating Expenses
Foundation Grants $352,630 Sponsorships $41,401 Individual Contributions $36,865 Special Events $32,705 Other Income $3,380 Total Revenues $466,981
Program $292,832 Administration $40,834 Fundraising $50,897 Total Expenses $384,554
Restricted Accounts
$195,798
including Savings reserves and monies held in fiscal sponsorship.
About NQAPIA The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. We seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBTQ AAPI groups, develop leadership, promote visibility, educate our community, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations, and challenge homophobia, transphobia, and racism.
NQAPIA’s Current Programs Annual Training and Issue Briefing for Leaders of LGBTQ AAPI organizations This weekend-long summit focuses on networking, learning about current issues, sharing strategies, building local organizational infrastructure, and building national collaborative programs. Prior convenings were held in Honolulu (2013), San Jose (2011), Chicago (2010), Denver (2008), and Oakland (2005). In 2014, we organized a series of Regional Summits. The next National Summit will be in New Orleans, LA (2016). National Conference This conference brings together grassroots LGBTQ AAPI activists from across the nation. Prior national conferences were in Chicago in 2015 (360 attendees), Washington, DC in 2012 (350 attendees), and Seattle in 2009 (250 attendees). Capacity Building Resources, Workshops, and Trainings This includes a descriptive directory of all of the nation’s LGBTQ AAPI groups, sharing best practices and model documents, organizational trainings, and fiscal sponsorship.
LGBTQ Immigrants’ Rights & Racial Justice We are spearheading educational and advocacy campaigns on immigrants’ rights & racial justice that include local community forums, press conferences featuring AAPI immigrants, a national postcard campaign, and coordinated nationwide action. Promoting Visibility NQAPIA aims to improve the visibility of LGBTQs in the mainstream AAPI community and of AAPIs in the broader LGBTQ community. This multilingual education campaign includes outreach to the Asian ethnic media and educational leaflets translated into several Asian languages. A National Voice NQAPIA raises the LGBTQ AAPI voice in current issues, and we promote LGBTQ AAPI engagement. NQAPIA is a member of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of national AAPI advocacy organizations, and brings a racial justice lens to the LGBTQ policy agenda.
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Participating Organizations API Equality - Los Angeles, CA
Invisible to Invincible: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago (i2i), IL
Midwest Shades of Yellow (SOY), Minneapolis, MN
Trikone Chicago, IL
Greater New York City Area Asian Pride Project, NY
Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance (QAPA), Boston, MA
New England Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association (MASALA), Boston, MA
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander Organizations
Pacific Northwest API Pride of Portland, OR Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), Providence, RI
NQAPIA MEMBER GROUPS
Trikone - Northwest, Seattle, WA UTOPIA - Seattle, WA
Freedom Inc., Madison, WI
Network on Religion and Justice (NRJ)
Dari Project, NY
Pride Asia, Seattle, WA
Project Q of API Chaya, Seattle, WA
National Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD)
Northern California API Equality-Northern California, San Francisco, CA Desi lgbtQ Helpline (DeQH)
Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY)
Khush-DC, Washington, DC
hotpot!, Philadelphia, PA
Asian Pacific Islander Queer Sisters (APIQS), Washington, DC
Mid-Atlantic/Metro DC Area Asian Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA), Washington, DC
PFLAG NYC Chapter – API Project
SALGA, NY
Q-WAVE, NY
Queer South Asian National Network (QSANN)
Nolu Ehu, Waianae, HI
Guam Alternative Lifestyle Association (GALA)
Pacific Islands Pride Marianas, Saipan
VAYLA-New Orleans, LA
Khush Texas, Austin, TX
The South Trikone-Atlanta, GA
Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC), Bay Area, CA Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), San Francisco, CA South Bay Queer and Asian, San Jose, CA Trikone, San Francisco, CA UTOPIA - San Francisco, CA Southern California API PFLAG San Gabriel Valley, CA Barangay Los Angeles, CA
Malaya Project, Los Angeles, CA
Satrang Los Angeles, CA Viet Rainbow Orange County Koreans United for (VROC), CA Equality (KUE), CA API Pride Council, Los Angeles, CA UTOPIA San Diego, CA