135th
75th
35th
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
2017 25th
Resistance
25th
5th
2017 ANNIVERSARIES 135th Anniversary of Chinese Exclusion Act 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 that led to Japanese American internment th 35 Anniversary of the Death of Vincent Chin 25th Anniversary of the start of APA Heritage Month 25th Anniversary of saigu LA uprising 5th year Anniversary of DACA (AAFNY DACA Rally)
NQAPIA Programs Annual Leadership Summit of LGBTQ API Organizations This weekend-long training focuses on networking, learning about current issues, sharing strategies, and building local organizational infrastructure. Prior Summits were held in New Orleans (2016), Honolulu (2013), San Jose (2011), Chicago (2010), Denver (2008), and Oakland, CA (2005). In between, we host Regional Summits.
Triennial National Conference This conference brings together grassroots LGBTQ API activists from across the nation. Prior national conferences were in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Seattle. The next conference will be in San Francisco from July 26 - 29, 2018.
LGBTQ Immigrants’ Rights & Racial Justice In collaboration with local LGBTQ API groups, we are spearheading an educational and advocacy campaign blending immigrants’ rights with racial justice that includes local actions, community forums, and media profiles featuring LGBTQ API immigrants.
Promoting Visibility NQAPIA promotes the visibility of LGBTQs in the mainstream API community and of APIs in the broader LGBTQ community. This multilingual education campaign includes outreach to the Asian ethnic media and educational pieces translated into Asian languages.
Post Office Box 1277 Old Chelsea Station New York, NY 10113 WEBSITE www.nqapia.org EMAIL info@nqapia.org FACEBOOK facebook.com/nqapia
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (API) organizations. NQAPIA builds the capacity of local LGBTQ API groups, develops leadership, promotes visibility, educates the community, invigorates grassroots organizing, and challenges anti-LGBTQ bias and racism.
Capacity Building Resources This includes a descriptive directory of all of the nation’s LGBTQ API groups, direct financial support, fiscal sponsorship, and special trainings/workshops.
A Voice in Current Issues NQAPIA ensures LGBTQ API engagement in current policy issues. NQAPIA is the only LGBTQ member of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), the coalition of national API advocacy organizations. And, we add a racial justice lens to current LGBTQ issues.
Glenn D. Magpantay Receives Walter & Evelyn Haas Jr., Award for Outstanding Leadership for Immigrants Rights
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the NQAPIA team
Staff And Consultants
Board Of Directors
Glenn D. Magpantay
Vivian Fried-Chung | Co-Chair
Executive Director
San Francisco, CA
Sasha W.
Stan Fong | Treasurer
Organizing Director
Atlanta, GA
Tia Adams
Shivana Jorawar
Program Assistant
Center for Reproductive Rights, New York, NY
Patrick Lee
Sharita Gruberg
Grant Writer
Center for American Progress, Washington, DC
Tracy Nguyen
Sasanka Jinadasa
Conference Coordinator
Reframe Health and Justice, Washington, DC
Khudai Tanveer
Navid Ladha
Organizing Fellow
Trikone-ATX, Austin, TX
Linda Le
Kevin Lam
Bookkeeper
Asian American Resource Workshop, Boston, MA
Janani Balasubramanian
Kham Moua | Secretary
Social Media Consultant
OCA-APA Advocates, Washington, DC
Roberta Sklar
Julia Rhee
Media Consultant
San Francisco, CA
Eri Oura | Co-Chair Oakland, CA / Honolulu, HI
Cathy Chu GSA Network, Los Angeles, CA
Andrew Chou NYU Stern School of Business, New York, NY
Amanda Zhang Harvard University, Boston, MA/Madison, WI
*Affiliations for identification purposes only.
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Eight Direct Action Trainings After the election of Donald Trump, dozens of local community members reached out to NQAPIA to express their generalized sense of shock and helplessness. They asked for guidance for tangible actions in a new political era. In response, Sasha, NQAPIA’s Organizing Director, with the support of Tia, Program Assistant, ran direct action trainings in 8 cities over 5 weeks for people of color to support our community in taking action and learning how to organize as strategically, powerfully, and safely as possible. We centered APIs in these trainings and also reached out to Black, Latinx, and
Native American communities. When we first announced the trainings, they were shared hundreds of times, reaching over 3,000 people in just 24 hours. The all-day trainings provided practical knowledge on how to plan a nonviolent direct action and on how to de-escalate tense situations.
they feel better prepared and know how to watch out for their safety.
NQAPIA trained 300 people in Los Angeles (56 attendees), DC (47), NYC (30), Boston (20), Philadelphia (25), Bay Area / Oakland (35), Seattle (44), and Chicago (30).
• Our youngest trainee was just 19-years-old and showed how young people are taking leadership and training others.
• Nearly 1 in 5 people had never been to an action before, and those who did said
• One seasoned activist commented, “It was the most useful direct action training I’ve ever been to!” • Two young people took a bus for 6 hours from a rural community to attend our training.
• After one training, people formed a safety team for the National Day of Action for Trans Women of Color.
POP Youth Camp Along with our local partner API Equality Northern California, NQAPIA ran an LGBTQ Youth Training Camp in the Bay Area in July. The camp engaged 25 queer and trans API youth from across the country. During the camp, we trained the participants in LGBTQ and API histories, storytelling practice and public speaking skills, methods for organizing for racial and trans justice, and more.
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Fighting Trump’s Anti-Muslim Travel Ban On January 27, the day President Trump announced his anti-Muslim and antirefugee travel ban, chaos broke out in airports across the United States with travelers being stopped, held, and turned back. NQAPIA received several urgent complaints and provided legal assistance to LGBTQ Muslims and allies at New York’s JFK airport who were caught up in Trump’s orders. NQAPIA mobilized LGBTQ Asians to attend airport rallies in Los Angeles (LAX) and Chicago (ORD).
Lawsuit NQAPIA joined the legal challenge and filed LGBTQ amicus briefs in Hawaii v. Trump in the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. NQAPIA, along with the NYC Gay & Lesbian Anti Violence Project and Immigration Equality, with the pro bono assistance of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.
The brief shows how the ban threatens the lives of immigrants and refugees from all walks of life. It has a direct impact on the lives of LGBTQ people and tears our families apart. Homosexuality is criminalized in the counties subject to the ban. Many LGBTQ people in those countries are fleeing oppression due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. But, Trump’s travel ban prevents them from reaching safety and from escaping persecution and lifethreatening conditions in their home countries or in refugee camps abroad. The brief also illustrates the impact on U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have LGBTQ partners and family members abroad who are seeking refuge in the United States. The travel ban impairs U.S. citizens and LPRs from maintaining constitutionally protected familial relationships with their loved ones—whose safety is jeopardized by their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Voices NQAPIA also published the personal stories of LGBTQ Muslims and South Asians, sharing their experiences of policing and profiling. • Maya Jafer, a transgender Indian Muslim immigrant who shows that extensive security measures and vetting are already in place • Sal Salam, a gender non-conforming Bangladeshi Muslim who felt harassed and separated from their husband upon re-entering the U.S. • Sahar Shafqat, a gender nonconforming Pakistani Muslim who was harassed by TSA • Pia Ahmed’s sister ended up on the No Fly List as a teenager, and Pia watched their father get pulled out of line by TSA agents. • Alina Bee, whose South Asian ethnic dress was invasively searched by TSA
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Anti-Chinese Travel Ban
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act – the first piece of federal legislation that singled out a minority group for invidious discrimination – barred their entry. It was not until 1943 that Chinese could naturalize to become U.S. citizens.
1987
1882
Never Forget Anti-HIV Travel Ban
In 1987, President Reagan issued an Executive Order, which President Bush extended, barring people with HIV/AIDS from entering the United States. Congress codified the HIV+ exclusion into federal law in 1993. The ban endured until it was repealed in 2010.
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Anti-LGBTQ Travel Ban
From 1952 to 1990, LGBTQ people were barred from the U.S. because they were deemed to have “psychopathic personality.” Lower courts further denied the naturalization of LGBTQ immigrants because they were persons of “bad moral character.”
2017
1952
Anti-Muslim Travel Ban
President Trump issued 3 executive orders, the latest version prevents people from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen (6 of which are majority Muslim countries) and all refugees from entering the United States. Prior orders also banned people from Iraq and Sudan, both majority-Muslim countries.
#QueerAzaadi On the weekend before September 11th, NQAPIA organized our communities to fight back. In Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, we held community funerals to lay flowers and lift up the names of people killed in hate crimes just this year—Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, trans women and trans people, Black people, and undocumented immigrants. We created speak outs bringing the voices of LGBTQ Muslims to the forefront and demanding that narratives of 9/11 center the violence our communities have experienced in the last 16 years. We closed the space with a non-gendered Muslim prayer. In Boston, we created a mock-checkpoint that replicated the various “checkpoints” Asian, Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern, and Black people experience every day—being stopped at airports and ports of entry, harassed when passing through TSA, or denied service because of religious markers. In Chicago, Austin, and New Orleans, we created healing spaces for our communities—where we could gather, grieve, and celebrate behind closed doors, while we built safety and power with each other. In total, we engaged nearly 300 people in 7 cities: Austin (11), Boston (50 and 100 additional passersby), Chicago (6), DC (25), Los Angeles (50), New Orleans (17), and Philadelphia (20). In all of our actions, we connected the interlocking systems of Islamophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and anti-Blackness.
Media stories appeared in Colorlines, Asia Pacific Forum, Washington Blade, Los Angeles Blade, and Huffington Post. We thank these 15 anchor organizations who co-organized these actions: • #VigilantLove Coalition • API Equality-LA • Asian American Resource Workshop • DC Justice for Muslims • Gender Justice LA • Invisible 2 Invincible: API Pride of Chicago • KhushATX • KhushDC • Muslim Justice League • Nikkei Progressives • Philly South Asian Coalition • QAPA • Queer Muslims of Boston • Satrang • SWANA – LA 18 additional partnering organizations included 18 Million Rising, Advocates for Youth, APALA, APIENC, API Resistance, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, GetEQUAL, GSA Network, hotpot!, Justice Warriors for Black Lives, National CAPACD, South Asian Americans Leading Together, SONG, Transgender Law Center, Tuesday Night Project, UndocuBlack Network, Washington Peace Center, and White People for Black Lives-LA.
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Under a new political landscape, NQAPIA shifted our immigrants’ rights advocacy from federal to state and local issues.
Lawsuit Against Texas SB4 Local LGBTQ APIs in Texas fought State Bill (SB) 4 which bans sanctuary cities and allows racial profiling of immigrants. It was the most regressive anti-immigrant bill passed since Trump took office. Leaders from the LGBTQ Coalition of Houston Asian Americans (CHAA) travelled to the State Capitol to lobby
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state lawmakers to vote against SB4. NQAPIA developed educational fact sheets and op-eds about the law and its impact on the LGBTQ and API communities. They were translated into Chinese, Vietnamese, and Urdu—the most prevalent Asian languages in Texas. Becasue the legislature had already passed the bill, at NQAPIA’s Southern Summit in Houston, attendees from Austin, Dallas, and Houston hand-wrote 50 letters to the Mayor, County Sherriff,
Police Chief, and a City Councilmember urging them to sue the state to block the law from taking effect and thanking them for standing against SB4. NQAPIA the joined the legal challenge to SB4 in City of El Cenizo v. Texas. With the pro bono help of Reed Smith LLP, NQAPIA, CHAA, Khush-ATX, Dragonflies of Dallas, and OCA-Greater Houston submitted an amicus brief reviewing the impact of SB4 on API and LGBTQ Texans.
Train Takeover For The Illinois Trust Act Immigrants’ rights groups fought hard for the Illinois Trust Act, which prevents police across the state from detaining individuals based on their immigration status and also limits local agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Since the Governor had already committed to signing the state bill, at NQAPIA’s Midwest Summit in Chicago over 50 people participated in a train takeover to urge passage of the Welcoming City Ordinance. We partnered with Invisible 2 Invincible: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago (i2i), Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago, Access Living, Indo-American Center, and the Black Trans and Gender NonConforming (BTGNC) Collective. Together, we demonstrated power and delivered a clear message to the Mayor to make Chicago a true sanctuary city for all immigrants. We engaged over 500 people on the trains through conversations in-person and over the phone.
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RegiOnAl LGBTQ API Leadership Summits Every 3 years, NQAPIA coordinates Regional Leadership Summits. The leadership trainings and capacitybuilding workshops developed officers and Steering Committee members of local LGBTQ API groups so that their work is better organized, more impactful, more inclusive, and has greater reach. Thanks go to Saltwater Training for training support.
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The Southern Summit in Houston, co-sponsored by CHAA and OCAGreater Houston, brought together nearly 40 leaders of LGBTQ Asian and South Asian organizations in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, and across Texas. Special thanks go to J Feng, Louis, Koomah, and Debbie Chen for all their help.
The Midwest Summit had 35 attendees from Wisconsin and Illinois who participated in a train takeover to make Chicago a true sanctuary city for immigrants. Special thanks go to Kristina Tendilla for helping plan the action.
The West Coast Summit brought together 65 attendees from Seattle, Portland, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Fresno. After being trained in direct action, they held a rally outside of the office of Congressman Devin Nunes, a close advisor to Trump. Leaders demanded that Rep. Nunes reject the RAISE Act, which would significantly reduce the number of green cards, cut the number of legal
immigrants by 50%, eliminate family based immigration, and severely limit refugees. At a press conference, speakers showed how the law will tear our families apart. Our noisy march down the streets of Downtown Clovis protested the Congressman’s vote to repeal affordable health care. Nunes’ positions impact all Californians—not only in the Central Valley—and also across the West Coast.
UTOPIA Fifteen Pacific Islander leaders from UTOPIA San Francisco, UTOPIA Portland, and UTOPIA Seattle came together at NQAPIA’s West Coast Summit for a pre-Summit meeting to strategize. As each group uses the name United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliances (UTOPIA), the meeting facilitated a common mission statement that is reflective of shared values.
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Summit SpOnsOrs
The Northeast Summit convened 65 attendees from the DC Metro Area, Philadelphia, Greater New York, Providence, and Boston. Shortly before the Summit, the Trump administration announced that it would cancel the DACA Program unless Congress acted to pass the
DREAM Act. Summit attendees called 1,079 people, asking them to contact their Members of Congress to protect LGBTQ undocumented youth. Special thanks go to MASALA, QAPA, Saket Mishra, Kamal Jethwani, Binh Le, Kevin Lam, and Clara Yoon.
All Regional Summits
Comcast/NBC Universal Office of Minority Health Resource Center/DHHS Arcus Foundation API Dream Team Giving Circle CJ Huang Foundation Unbound Philanthropies Walter and Evelyn Haas, Jr. Fund
Southern Summit
OCA-Greater Houston and the Coulter Foundation Weston Milliken
Midwest Summit
Alphawood Foundation American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
West Coast Summit
API PFLAG San Gabriel Valley GAPA Foundation The California Endowment Horizons Foundation Liberty Hill Foundation
Northeast Summit
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) The LGBTQ Task Force: Creating Change Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Harvard Pilgrim Health The Network/La Red Wild Geese Foundation
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PREPARE TO CARE A PLANNING GUIDE FOR CAREGIVERS IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY
DEFENDING DACA, Demanding a Clean DREAM Act On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration announced that it would cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in six months unless Congress passed legislation to preserve the program. DACA has helped thousands of LGBTQ API young people trying to work, study, and improve their lives in the U.S. 169,000 APIs are eligible for DACA. According to USCIS, about 16,000 people from South Korea, the Philippines, India, and Pakistan have benefitted from DACA. 75,000 LGBTQ immigrants are eligible for DACA. According to the UCLA Williams Institute, about 36,000 LGBTQ people have benefitted from DACA. Trump’s mean-spirited cancellation of DACA will force 800,000 people to live in even greater fear and will take away employment and educational opportunities. Talented and hard-working DACA young people are the ones who are truly making America great. Again, the President cuts back on the American dream and contributors to our economy. Tony Choi is a 24-year-old, gay, Korean DACA beneficiary from New Jersey. In 2010, his options were to live a closeted life taking care of this mother with cancer in the US or return to Korea where his LGBTQ identity would subject him to harsh hazing for two years in the mandatory military service. Korean military penal law criminalizes homosexuality. Bupendra Ram is a South Asian Dreamer from Fiji who came to the United State when he was only 2-years-old. He is the first person in his family to obtain a college degree.
NQAPIA had been anticipating this effort and throughout the year had collected postcards to defend DACA from elimination. Before the announcement, NQAPIA delivered 971 postcards to The White House to preserve DACA. Immediately after the announcement, NQAPIA mobilized dozens of volunteers who called 2,136 people to email Congress to pass the DREAM Act to protect LGBTQ and API undocumented youth. Take action by going to bit.ly/savedaca!
Our Demands DACA is already a compromise. We seek passage of the DREAM Act that is clean of... • Increased funding for border enforcement or security measures that will militarize the Southwest border; • Expanded detention beds and deportations, including those with criminal convictions; • Building of a border wall; • Changes to the family immigration system that will severely limit Asian immigration; and/or • Changes that further diminishes immigrants’ access to public benefits. Sasha W, said, “NQAPIA has long fought hard for DACA and immigrants’ rights. We are now taking our fight to Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act.”
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Promoting Family Acceptance The country is so divided, but NQAPIA’s team of Asian parents who love their LGBTQ kids are bringing people together and changing hearts and minds to build acceptance for our community. Countless LGBTQ people feel unsafe, and we need the security of our families now more than ever. We fight hate with love.
Workshops Chicago - After Valentine’s Day, we launched our Midwest campaign in conjunction with i2i and Trikone-Chicago. PSA videos co-produced by the Asian Pride Project ran for the first time on major Asian television networks in the Greater Chicago Area. They aired 113 times in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog (Filipino), and Hindi, reaching 53,406 Asian households each time for a total of six (6) million media impressions. Thank you to Schiff Hardin LLP for hosting the press conference that notably featured South Asians and Muslims. Tokyo - LGBTQ Youth Japan, Rainbow Families, and the Diversity Center at Waseda University invited NQAPIA to give a series of family acceptance workshops in Tokyo. Two dozen young people and parents came to the Shibua Cultural Center to hear mothers Aya Yabe and Marsha Aizumi tell their stories. They gave another talk for 65 students, administrators, and community members at Waseda. One young person rode the train for seven (7) hours just to meet a loving mother of a queer kid.
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Honolulu - NQAPIA partnered with the Hawaii LGBTQ Legacy Foundation and LGBTQ+ Center at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa for a family acceptance workshop at the LGBTQ Center Waikiki. We featured our first Pacific Islander parent in our speakers bureau–Noralynn Mae Samalaulu Schubert, a local mom of Samoan heritage. Nearly 30 people came including 20 parents and several fathers. One couple broke down in tears because their daughter had just come out to them as a lesbian, and they did not know what to do. The workshop was so needed. Portland, OR - API Pride Portland hosted a workshop for a broad audience of 32 API, Black, Latinx, and Native American people to hear the stories of HK Shim, a Korean immigrant father of a gay son, and Michelle Honda-Phillips, a third-generation Japanese mother of a transgender daughter. One person said, “My breakout group was incredibly emotional. And, we connected on a level where everyone was left in tears from empathy and support. Such a cleansing discussion—I was honored to be a part of it.”
Support NQAPIA provided translated leaflets that dispelled common myths and misconceptions about being LGBTQ in 26 Asian languages. The newest additional languages are Samoan, Farsi, Malay, Malayalam, and Tamil, recognizing these emerging populations. Thanks also goes to Project by Project who selected NQAPIA as their annual project for helping us optimize (SEO) our website to enhance its reach.
YouTube Ads During LGBTQ Pride month in June and National Coming Out Day on October 11, NQAPIA and Asian Pride Project aired emotionally moving videos of Asian parents of LGBTQ children as pop-up ads on YouTube before viewers could watch their favorite Chinese Soap Opera, Filipino comedy, Korean drama, Vietnamese talent show, or Bollywood movie. Several of the ads feature parents of transgender and gender nonconforming youth. 42,183 YouTube viewers watched the video in one of seven (7) languages --Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese Tagalog, Hindi. We had a total reach of 222,517 media impressions. “We debut this Family is Still Family PSA Campaign at a crucial time in the LGBTQ movement,” said Aries Liao, co-founder of Asian Pride Project. “These videos not only honor the courage of family members speaking out about their love for their children but raise awareness more broadly of the essential role that families—no matter how defined—can play in nurturing acceptance within the Asian American community.” THANK YOU. This effort is possible because of the generous support of the API Dream Team, Arcus Foundation, Aratani Foundation, CJ Huang Foundation, Project by Project, and Walter and Evelyn Haas, Jr. Fund.
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Legal Eagles
NQAPIA thanks these law firms and corporate legal departments for their pro bono legal assistance and diversity & inclusion partnerships supporting the LGBTQ Asian & South Asian community over the past year.
3M Legal Department (St. Paul) drafted model guidance language for the Department of Homeland Security to prohibit profiling on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender-identity.
Farella Braun + Martel (San Francisco), Gibson Dunn (New York), Paul Hastings (Los Angeles), and Booz Allen Hamilton (Washington DC) hosted NQAPIA’s annual LGBTQ Asian American/South Asian Lawyers Networking Receptions.
Fish & Richardson LLP (Dallas/Minneapolis) advised how NQAPIA could air our family acceptance Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on ethnic television stations.
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP (New York) hosted a program offering a legal and political analysis of the LGBTQ API impact of recent executive orders and policy proposals.
Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP (Washington DC) detailed the mechanics of filing complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and assisted NQAPIA to comment on proposed FCC rulemaking regarding media diversity.
Linklaters LLP (Tokyo/New York) convened discussions between Japanese youth and professionals in law and finance on promoting LGBTQ acceptance in Japan through petitions on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ people serving as foster parents.
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Legal Defense and Support NQAPIA’s legal referral program provides LGBTQ APIs with access to free (pro bono) legal advice on immigration law, criminal justice, transgender rights, and LGBTQ family law. We launched this effort because many legal services providers were not culturally competent, linguistically appropriate, or were outright hostile towards LGBTQ people. Since the inauguration, intake calls skyrocketed. Thanks to the volunteer lawyers at Morrison & Foerster LLP, we have been working hard to help every person.
Morrison & Foerster LLP (Los Angeles/San Diego) interviewed callers to our referral program to conduct comprehensive intakes to make referrals to legal specialists.
Sidley Austin LLP (New York) researched the law of redistricting to guide the LGBTQ community’s potential strategy in the next cycle while protecting minority voting strength.
Reed Smith LLP (Houston) drafted an LGBTQ amicus brief at the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to challenge Texas’s anti-sanctuary city and anti-immigrant SB4.
Schiff Hardin LLP (Chicago) hosted a press conference and reception to launch NQAPIA’s Family Acceptance Campaign in the Midwest.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Los Angeles/Houston/ Chicago) drafted an amicus brief in Hawaii v. Trump challenging Trump’s anti-Muslim travel ban.
White & Case LLP (Washington, DC) researched asylum law and held a lawyers’ debate showing how bisexual people are members of a persecuted social class.
WilmerHale (Washington, DC) and Kramer Levin (New York) sponsored tables at NQAPIA’s Community Catalyst Awards dinner honoring the champions of the LGBTQ API community. To partner with NQAPIA on pro bono pr D&I projects, contact Glenn D. Magpantay, Esquire, at glenn_magpantay@nqapia.org.
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In late October in New York City, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and for the first time Los Angeles, over 185 people “came out” to celebrate the diversity within the LGBTQ and Asian American and South Asian communities. Professionals in finance, tech, and consulting joined partners and associates at corporate law firms, government attorneys, small firms, and public interest lawyers for these back-to-back networking receptions. The events raised money for NQAPIA’s legal referral program for LGBTQ API undocumented immigrants, young people, and organizations. At all receptions, accomplished leaders talked about the need for diversity and the importance of giving back. In New York, Alfonso David, Counsel to the NYS Governor, remarked, “We are being challenged to define ourselves in this new age. Ensure that the respect and honor we have assigned to diversity and inclusivity is sustainable. … Our history of accomplishment and respect for diversity now gives us a sense of hope and optimism for what is just on the horizon.” In Washington, DC, openly LGBTQ Congressmember Mark Takano said, “Any community that has felt the sting of discrimination has a responsibility to help others who are suffering injustice. It was a pleasure to connect with a group that is committed to lending its voice to those who do not have one.” In Los Angeles, Alex H. Fukui talked about his experience of becoming a partner in a major law firm and then transitioning as in-house counsel. He reflected, “Back then, there were few LGBTQ and API role models for me, and that is why this event is so important.” In San Francisco, Associate Director Christine Sun of the ACLU of Northern California said, “And, in this time when our communities are under attack, all of us in this room need to take risks—huge risks—whether it’s in the cases and projects we take on or in our career choices.” Their remarks were followed by special recognition of pro bono and diversity & inclusion champions and a screening of NQAPIA’s national conference video.
RECEPTION SPONSORS Platinum
Farella Braun + Martel Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Paul Hastings Booz Allen Hamilton
Diamond
Davis Wright Tremaine Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson McDermott Will & Emery National Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. (NAPABA)
Gold
Asian American Bar Assoc. of NY (AABANY) Allen & Overy Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garret & Dunner Kirkland & Ellis Latham & Watkins Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Proskauer Rose Sullivan & Cromwell
Silver
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft Dechert Keker & Van Nest Kelley, Drye & Warren Morrison & Foerster Reed Smith Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Steptoe & Johnson Weil Gotshal & Manges South Asian Bar Assoc. of North America (SABA NA)
Bronze
Baker & McKenzie Cravath, Swaine & Moore Littler Mendelson Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Schiff Hardin Shearman & Sterling South Asian Bar Assoc. of NY (SABANY)
Bar Associations
Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) - Gold Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA) Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington DC (APABA) Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) Korean American Lawyer Association of Greater New York (KALGNY) LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL) LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles National Asian Pacific American Bar Associate (NAPABA) - Diamond South Asian Bar Association of Washington DC (SABA-DC) South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA NA) - Silver South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) – Bronze
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Celebrating our Champions NQAPIA hosted three (3) Community Catalyst Awards banquet dinners to celebrate those who have been pushing hard for our community. At each dinner, we were joined by community leaders, movement thinkers and agitators, parents and youth, members and alumni of local queer API groups, allies, and many old friends. Proceeds supported trainings for leaders of local LGBTQ API organizations. People donated as little as $5 and as much as $5,000, raising over $40,000. We thank event manager Vinnu Kudva of APEX Meetings & Events and renowned photographer Corky Lee for all their help.
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New York Community Catalyst Awards - March 25th Over 360 people attended, much more than last year. Special guests included NYS Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, NJ Judge Sue Pai Yang (ret.) and Councilman Danny Dromm to celebrate our champions. • The Ng Family: John Ng for being a proud father of a trans son; Virginia Ng for her advocacy work at OCA-New Jersey; Jonas Ng for promoting corporate diversity and inclusion; and Maxwell Ng for leading QAPA Boston and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition • Ongina for bringing visibility to our communities on the national stage as a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 1) and for raising awareness of API immigrants and people living with HIV A special performance by the SALGA Dance Team showed our pride in our cultural traditions. Our evening’s emcee Parag Mehta brought so much humor and delight. Patrick Lee shared his moving story of coming out as a queer Korean man. He helped us raise over $15,000. Thank you to the Planning Committee members: Andrew Chou, Bashar Makhay, Lakshman Kalasapudi, Patrick Lee, Stephanie Hsu, Tan Chan, and graphic designer Zoe Priest.
NYC COMMUNITY CATALYST SPONSORS
NYC COMMUNITY CATALYST HOST COMMITTEE
Gold
Pearl
Open Society Foundations Human Rights Campaign
Silver
UFC: Korean Style Fried Chicken and Craft Beers
Bronze
Kramer Levin LLP The Ng Family’s Family
QWAVE Crew Fondue Congresswoman Grace Meng Clara Yoon Lou Madigan GAPIMNY Steering Committee GAPIMNY Members Melissa Li & Kit Yan OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates OCA New Jersey Chapter PFLAG NYC Taurab NYC Dr. Mari Morimoto & Aya Yabe NYU Stern School of Business Stephanie Hsu
Jade
APICHA Amit Bagga Asian American Impact Fund Don Kao Korean Community Activists Lambda Legal Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens Project by Project GMHC – Gay Men’s Health Crisis Michael Snider & Jarret Yoshida. Stephanie Chang Kalasapudi Family SALGA NYC Vivian Fried-Chung
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Washington, DC Community Catalyst Awards - March 11th More than 210 people attended to celebrate our champions: • Gautam Raghavan, former Vice President of Policy for the Gill Foundation and liaison to the LGBTQ and AAPI communities for President Barack Obama • Miriam Yeung, former Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum • Asian & Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA DC) for 25 years of providing a safe space, raising visibility, and advocating for our communities Other distinguished guests included David Do from the Mayor’s Office for API Affairs. Our evening’s emcee Parag Mehta brought so much love and delight. Anish Tailor shared his moving story of coming out as a South Asian gay man. He helped us raise over $7,500. Thank you to the Planning Committee members: Alyssa Lee, Anish Tailor, André Jennings, Ben Chou, Ben de Guzman, Jeffrey Wong, Kham Moua, and graphic designer Wendy Yuan of PSK Creative.
DC COMMUNITY CATALYST SPONSORS Gold
Human Rights Campaign
Silver
Advocates for Youth Danny Leung Mayor’s Office for API Affairs Planned Parenthood of America
DC COMMUNITY CATALYST HOST COMMITTEE Pearl
Asian & Pacific Islander Queers United for Action AQUA-DC Alumni Ben de Guzman Center for Asian Pacific American Women & Rosie Abraham Friends of Gautam Raghavan Khush-DC OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates
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Jade
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Chen Wen GABRIELA-DC Gem Daus & Associates Mahinder Tak National LGBTQ Task Force Southeast Asian Resource Action Center
Bronze
Gill Foundation National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Booz Allen Hamilton WilmerHale LLP
Chicago Community Catalyst Awards – August 5th Jointly hosted with Invisible to Invincible (i2i): API Pride of Chicago and TrikoneChicago, more than 150 people attended to honor: • Asian Americans Advancing JusticeChicago • Tanvi Sheth of Transformative Justice Law Project • Chicago Desi Youth Rising (CDYR) Our evening’s emcee Elizabeth Gomez from Second City was a riot. People delighted in Bollywood Dance Performance by Aliasha Boti Kabob, Korean drag artist Joonage À Trois, and music spun by DJ clubchild. Karen Su shared her moving story of coming out that raised over $5,000.
Thank you to the Planning Committee members: Kevin Chow, Kim Nguyen, Kristina Tendilla, Mayur Patel, Nebula Li, Ryan Viloria, Sal Salam, Tia Adams, Graphic Designer MK Angeles, and Photographer Jed Dulanas.
CHICAGO COMMUNITY CATALYST SPONSORS Alphawood Foundation American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Comcast / NBC Universal Asian Americans Advancing JusticeChicago
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Save the Date: 2018 National LGBTQ API Conference July 26 to 29, 2018 Hilton Hotel in San Francisco’s Chinatown Every three (3) years, NQAPIA coordinates a national conference to bring together LGBTQ APIs from across the nation to build a world where every LGBTQ API person can fully live their authentic lives in their homes, families, places of workshop, jobs, professions, schools, and communities.
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and advance an agenda that brings all LGBTQ racial and ethnic minority groups into the full fold of society, the LGBTQ movement, and the API community.
Next year, we expect 400 people. Prior national conferences were in Chicago (325 attendees) in 2015, Washington, DC (350 attendees) in 2012, and Seattle (250 attendees) in 2009. New York’s 2004 conference (400 attendees) helped lay the groundwork for NQAPIA’s initial convening
Workshops will cover a wide array of topics on politics, organizing, skills, arts and culture, health and wellness, and diversity and inclusion. Caucuses will provide opportunities to network with others in their regions or affinities, such as corporate professionals, parents, women, trans and gender nonconforming people, students/youth, bisexuals, South Asians, polyamorous, etc. We are planning an evening cultural program featuring queer API performers.
The conference goals are to network, organize, train, educate, and build capacity of the nation’s LGBTQ API community. It will build community
We will also celebrate our community achievements and our champions with the GSA Network’s Skylar Lee Leadership and Activism Award. The NQAPIA
Community Catalyst Awards Gala will honor the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) on their 30th Anniversary, and other Catalyst awardees will be announced, along with NQAPIA’s Member of the Year Award.
Registration Fees $350 Corporate/Government Rate $300 Regular Rate $250 NQAPIA Member Group Rate $225 Workshop Presenter Rate $150 Limited-income/Student Rate *Fee includes Thursday night reception, Friday breakfast and lunch, Saturday lunch and 10-course banquet dinner, and Sunday brunch.
Accommodations
Hilton Financial District 750 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108 Rooms available at the special discounted rate of $169/night/room with the reservation code “NQAPIA 2018.” Must book by July 1, 2018. A limited amount of community housing can be arranged.
Conference Programming Clusters • Advocacy and Organizing Skills • Organizational Building • Social Justice (e.g., race, gender, immigrants’ rights) • Fundraising & Philanthropy • Sex and Sexuality • Faith & Religion • Youth Organizing • International • Professional Development/ Corporate Advancement • Health and Wellness • Mardia, Arts and Culture
Special Conference Convenings / Workshop Tracks • Leaders of LGBTQ API Organizations (NQAPIA Member Groups) • Philanthropy – LGBTQ API Donors and Funders • Religious Leaders – Ministers, Pastors, and Clergy • Youth • International – from Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India • LGBTQ API Professionals and Corporate Leaders • South Asian Planning for DesiQ
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Thank You NQAPIA Supporters 2017 See prior articles for event sponsors of Catalyst Awards, Summits, and Networking receptions
$100,000 and over Anonymous Arcus Foundation Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
$50,000 - $99,999 Unbound Philanthropy Walter and Evelyn Haas, Jr. Fund
$25,000 - $49,999 Borealis Philanthropies: Impact Litigation Fund Office of Minority Health Resource Center / DHHS
$10,000 - $24,999
Alphawood Foundation Aratani Foundation Borealis Philanthropies: Fund for Trans Generations CJ Huang Foundation Comcast / NBC Universal David Bohnett Foundation Borealis Philanthropies: Fund for Trans Generations New York Community Trust
$5,000 - $9,999
API Dream Team Giving Circle The California Endowment Comcast/NBC Universal Liberty Hill Foundation – Rapid Response Fund OCA Greater Houston Chapter Open Society Foundations Project by Project Proteus Fund - Security & Rights Collaborative Wild Geese Foundation
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$2,500 - $4,999 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Dinner Guys Giving Circle Christopher D. Chung GAPA Foundation Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Pride Foundation – Rapid Response Fund Verizon Foundation Weston Milliken Woods Fund – Special Opportunity Fund
$1,000 - $2,449
Anonymous Andrew and Kimberly Yoon Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Cecil Fong Danny Leung, Century 21 Redwood Realty David Bohnett Foundation Esmeralda Magpantay Evette Cardona Matthew Freimuth Molly Girton Vicki Litvinov
NQAPIA House Party in San Francisco Hosted by Sparks
$500 - $999
Aileen Kim Ajit Joshi Alexis Yee-Garcia Andre Ting Andrew Tein API PFLAG San Gabriel Valley Apphia K Archy Jamjun Chuck Middleton Charles Kent David Lam Glenn Smith Jane Picket Linda Aratani Linda Lew Woo Mahinder Tak Moriko Nishiura National LGBTQ Task Force Balan Balakrishnan Urvashi Vaid Virginia & John Ng Vivian Fried-Chung Wai Tse
$250 - $499
A. Sparks Anne Shaw Anonymous Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago C. Rosenberg Christine Luc Cindy Rizzo Conrad Ricamora Gautam Raghavan Grace Chan McKibben Gwen & Cuc Migita-Vu Jayne Balick John Won Jonas Ng Kate & HK Shim Kalpana Nitzsche & Rowena Cruz Kham Moua Katie Keith Kenneth Gonzales Lance Dwyer Lillian Gee Lou Madigan Marsha Aizumi Meeta Patel MB Maxwell Michael Gribben Michael Snider Michelle Tat
Missy Sturtevant Nikko and Michael Betito Patrick Lee Paul Wong Rehan Rizvi Honorable Sue Pai Yang (ret.) Shau-wai Lam Shiliu Wang Suhad Babaa Therese Rodriguez Tyeesha Dixon Ty Lim Unmi Song Vaibhav Jain Vinay Sanapala
$100 - $249
Anonymous Alice Y. Hom Alicia Virani Allen Cho Andrew Aggabao Andrew Jones Ha Nguyen Binh Hoang Cathy Chu Christophe Tedjasukmana Christopher J Dykas CJ Li Crystal J. Jang Dennis Chin Hon. Daniel Dromm Elaine Kaneshiro eri oura Erin Wright Harrison Prak Hayden Oney Henry Lo Janet Mock Jeffrey Trachtman Jeffrey Wong Jeremy Rye
NQAPIA at Out & Equal Workplace Summit with Ernst & Young, Booz Allen, and KARP.
Jo Quiambao Joanne Lee Joy Adams JR Kuo Kamlesh Bagga Kimi Chung Kristine Serrano Lei Ueunten Lynda Duque Marq Hwang Maureen Farrell Mel Kakimi Michael Nguyen Miriam Yeung Noah Lumsden Oneida Chi Ranga Atapattu Rath Wang Rosetta Lai Sas Moy Scott Fleming Shinaah Thao Shivana Jorawar Sophia Giddens Sung Won Yun Tom Hayashi Trang Nguyen Vinnu Kudva Wei Soo
$100
Aaron Morris Albert Chan Aldwin Aldana Alexander Tang Alex Hing Alex Ng Alvina Yeh Andrew Spieldenner Ashland Johnson Asian American Federation of NY Avi Rudnick Chantale Wong Chih-Wei Liang Chirag Parekh Chwee-Lye Chng Dalton Tiegs Daniel Lee David Igasaki David B Lat Jenny Yu Devon de Leman Dohyun Ahn Dwight Yoo Elizabeth Ingriselli Elizabeth Oh Emmanuel Garcia Eun Sook Lee
Eva Lui Evelyn Shieh Fatimah Asghar Forest Bluff Counseling, LLC Francis Yang Henry Ocampo Im Senephimmachack Irene Bueno Jacinda Valencia Christi Conkling Jayesh Rathod Janet Uradomo Julie Azuma Julia Lukomnik Justin & Muna Lansing Karen & Glenn Murakami Karen Louie Kim Hunt Kyle Oura Jonas Lasala Lillian Gee Hirschfeld Malcolm Rich Marcia Liu Maya Iwata Michael Estrera Monica Thammarath Nora Schubert Owen Daniel-McCarter Padilla & Company, LLP Petra Aldrich
Poonam Kapoor Priscilla Hung Priyanka Chirimar Rob Mooney Ronald Chan Sabrina Chou Sandra Tsung Sanjukta Guha Thakurta Sasanka Jinadasa Serena Moy Serena Worthington Sokhom Cheng Steven Medeiros Jane Wu Ram Abbireddy The Network/La Red Tonny Welling Van Goodwin Yahya Alazrak Zephyr Elise
InKind Support
3M Booz Allen Hamilton Grindr for Equaity John Joseph & Myron Quon Linklaters Morrison & Foerster LLP Schiff Hardin LLP
NQAPIA Financial Statements FY 2016 INCOME
EXPENSE Foundation Grants
59%
Program
59%
Individual Contributions 18%
Administration 18%
Corporate Contributions 14%
Funding
Special Events & Other
14%
9%
REVENUES
OPERATING EXPENSES
Foundation Grants
$366,551
Program
$390,658
Individual Contributions
$113,009
Administration
$32,988
Corporate Contributions
$88,521
Fundraising
$89,026
Special Events
$47,791
Total Expenses
$ 612,672
Other Income
$ 8,018
Interest Income
$ 360
Total Revenues
$ 624,251
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NATIONAL PARTNERS
NQAPIA MEMBER GROUPS PACIFIC NORTHWEST
API Pride of Portland, OR
Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) Desi lgbtQ Helpline (DeQH)
Americans (CHAA)
MID-ATLANTIC/METRO DC
VAYLA-New Orleans, LA
Khush Texas, Austin, TX
AREA
Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP)
Desi Rainbow Parents, NJ
PFLAG NYC Chapter – API Project
SALGA-NYC
Q-WAVE, NY
Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY)
Dari Project, NY
Asian Pride Project, NY
AREA
GREATER NEW YORK CITY
Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment & Leadership (seaQuel), Providence, RI
Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance (QAPA), Boston, MA
Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association (MASALA), Boston, MA
NEW ENGLAND
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander Organizations
MIDWEST
Invisible to Invincible: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago (i2i), IL Trikone-Chicago, IL
Project Q of API Chaya, Seattle, WA
Freedom Inc., Madison, WI
Guam Alternative Lifestyle
Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP), NY/NJ
Khush-DC, Washington, DC
hotpot!, Philadelphia, PA
Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society (APIQS), Washington, DC
Asian Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA), Washington, DC
Trikone-Atlanta, GA
THE SOUTH
Pride Asia, Seattle, WA UTOPIA - Seattle, WA
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
API Queer Sacramento Coalition (APIQSC) API Equality-Northern California, San Francisco Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC), Bay Area Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), San Francisco GAPA Foundation, San Francisco, CA Network on Religion and Justice (NRJ) Trikone, San Francisco UTOPIA - San Francisco
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Pride Marianas, Saipan
Coalition of Houston Asian
Trikone-Northwest, Seattle, WA
PACIFIC ISLANDS
API PFLAG San Gabriel Valley
Association (GALA)
API Equality-Los Angeles
Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP)
SAVE THE DATE NQAPIA National LGBTQ API Conference
Satrang, Los Angeles UTOPIA - San Diego
San Francisco, CA
July 26 to 29, 2018
Viet Rainbow Orange County (VROC), Garden Grove