NQAPIA – National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance

We want your Presence and Power to help us make Progress at the NQAPIA National Conference! We’ll be in Washington DC from July 19-22 and we’re hoping you’ll join us!

See our Facebook Event. Register: here.

Add your voice to over 300 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders activists and attendees across the United States.

Together we’ll network, organize, agitate, educate, and build the capacity of the nation’s LGBT AAPI community.  We have in store:

• Amazing workshops
• Exciting presentations, discussions, and forums
• Networking caucuses
• Inspirational speakers
• Moving performance arts
• And more!

Phillip reflects:

“When I went to NQAPIA’s last conference in August 2009, I didn’t know what to expect. I discovered a community of people who faced similar issues and shared my passions. I left the conference with new friends, a greater understanding of who I am, and commitment to our community.”

Alison exclaims:

“I know that this year’s conference will catalyze leadership in local queer and trans API movements, connect participants into a network of support, and invigorate our collective power. I can’t wait to see you there!”

We’re preparing to host you for a transformative weekend that celebrates our diverse and complex communities. Join us to connect with new friends, create fond memories and strengthen your ability to fight for the rights and dignity of our communities.

You can register here: NQAPIA Conference Registration.

In community,

Alison Lin & Phillip Ozaki
NQAPIA Board Co-Chairs
www.nqapia.org

PS. If you want to support the conference, please donate here . You can help us ensure that more voices are present by providing registration scholarships for those with fewer financial resources.

Ben de Guzman, NQAPIA Co-Director for Programs, is in the middle of a West Coast swing!  From Seattle to Portland, he is meeting with local AAPI LGBT groups, our partners and allies to share information about NQAPIA work, updates from Washington, DC and the latest about our upcoming conference!

If you’re in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, March 31, join him for a “Worlds Collide” meetup in downtown Los Angeles at Pizza Urbano (630 W. 6th Street) on Saturday, March 31 at 5pm.

On his trip, he’s met and/ or talked with the following organizations:

Seattle:

Trikone- NW

Asian Counseling and Referral Services (Thanks for hosting our meeting!)

UTOPIA- Seattle

Pacific Asians in the NW Doing Allied Queer Organizing Realness (PANDAQORN)

Asian & Pacific Islander Safety Center/ Chaya

Portland:

API Pride- Portland (Thanks for lunch!)

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon

Los Angeles:

GAPSN (Thanks for hosting Ben at Game Night!)

API Pride Council (Thanks for the NQAPIA shout-out at the Queer Auction and Mixer!)

Satrang

AQWA

API Equality- Los Angeles (Thursday Mixer with LGBT Lawyers group!)

Asian Pacific Islander AIDS Intervention Team (Thanks for hosting Ben at your staff meeting!)

Asian Pacific American Legal Center

San Diego:

UTOPIA- San Diego

San Diego LGBT Center

For more information about his trip, e-mail: <ben_deguzman@nqapia.org>

Much thanks to everyone he’s met along the way!

RSVP Here:  https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/7100/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=47796

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)

Asian American Bar Association of Chicago

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)

National LGBT Bar Association

Invite you to an: 

LGBT Asian American/South Asian Lawyers Cocktail Reception

This networking reception recognizes the diversity within the LGBT and AAPI communities and also provides support to LGBT attorneys in corporate, commercial, government, and public interest practice.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

6:00 to 8:00 PM

Hosted by McDermott Will & Emery

227 W. Monroe Street

Chicago, Il 60606

Welcoming Remarks by U.S. District Court Judge Edmond Chang.  Keynote Address by Peter S. Ohr, Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board.

Event is free but donated proceeds will support scholarships for student to attend the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance conference in Washington, DC in July 2012.

To RSVP:  https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/7100/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=47796

For more information: E-mail nqapia@gmail.com

Summer 2012 Internships

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations.  We seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBT AAPI groups, develop leadership, promote visibility, educate our community, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations, and challenge homophobia and racism.

NQAPIA is seeking talented young people for internships in the following:

National Conference Planning

Interns will assist in administration, programming, communications, and outreach for a national, pan-ethnic, multi-gender conference for LGBT AAPIs and their networks.  The conference will be held in the Washington, DC area July 2012.

National Advocacy for LGBT AAPIs

Interns will attend high level national policy meetings, congressional briefings, and other events to raise the concerns of LGBTs in mainstream civil rights issues, and of AAPIs in LGBT rights issues.  Interns will assist in coordinating a national conference of grassroots LGBT AAPI activists from across the nation to educate the community on policy matters.

LGBT Immigrants’ Rights and Immigration Reform

The intern will work directly with queer Asian immigrants and media professionals to develop testimonials and personal narratives that can be posted on websites, printed for publication, and developed for audio and video distribution.  The goal is to bring the real lives of queer Asian immigrants to the fore and to inspire others to come out and take action.  The intern will also assist in coordinating community press conferences and other community meetings.

Federation of AAPI LGBT Organizations

NQAPIA serves as a national convenor for LGBT AAPI communities and organizations.  Interns will support national efforts to reach out to LGBT AAPI organizations and initiatives to coordinate activity to build capacity and to amplify their voice.

Capacity Building Resources, Workshops, and Trainings

Interns will also have an opportunity to participate in developing an organizational tool kit with best practices and model documents; special trainings/workshops; being a voice for LGBT AAPI on current issues, and explore ways to promote LGBT AAPI engagement.

Description of Internships

The intern will learn strategies in using public policy, grassroots organizing, and the media to advance social justice.  Interns are supervised by NQAPIA professional staff.  Interns work primarily on research and writing, policy advocacy, community outreach and organizing.

Currently, these internships are not paid positions, but academic credit can be arranged.  Interns will be expected to work full time during the summer, and internships are usually about ten weeks.

To Apply:

Any bilingual ability should be stated in the resume.  Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Applications should also state their dates of availability.  Applications received by March 31 will receive priority consideration.  Send a resume and cover letter to:

NQAPIA Intern Search

1322 18th Street, NW Washington, DC

Email: nqapia@gmail.com

Electronic submissions strongly preferred.  Please write: “Intern Applicant” in the Subject.

For more information, contact Ben de Guzman at ben_deguzman@nqapia.org or 202-422-4909.

Children Living in LGBT Families of Color Face Double Jeopardy

Archaic family laws, LGBT social stigma, and racial/ethnic discrimination combine to create disparate impact

February 28, 2012

MEDIA CONTACT:

WASHINGTON, D.C.  — A new report released today shows how children living in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families of color have become collateral damage of antiquated laws, social stigma, and discrimination.

LGBT Families of Color: Facts at a Glance offers a snapshot of how racial and ethnic discrimination, anti-LGBT social stigma and outdated family laws intersect to hurt children living in LGBT families of color. Driven by the need to shed light on the double jeopardy faced by these children and families, the report brings together acoalition of public policy and family advocacy organizations: The National Black Justice Coalition, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, UNID@S, the Fighting Injustice to Reach Equality (FIRE) initiative, the Family Equality Council, the Movement Advancement Project and the Center for American Progress.

LGBT Families of Color: Facts at a Glance is available online at www.children-matter.org.

LGBT PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE MORE LIKELY TO PARENT

“Contrary to popular stereotypes, both black and Latino gay and lesbian couples are morelikely to raise children than their white counterparts,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition. “Gay and lesbian couples of color are also more likely to become foster parents.”

The report finds that:

• LGBT families are more racially and ethnically diverse than families headed by married heterosexual couples. Of same-sex couples with children, 41% are people of color, compared to 34% of married different-sex couples with children.

• LGBT families of color face greater poverty. For example, 32% of children raised by black same-sex couples live in poverty, compared to 13% of children raised by black married different-sex couples and 7% of children raised by white married different-sex couples.

CHILDREN RAISED IN LGBT FAMILIES OF COLORCONFRONT A DUAL BURDEN OF SOCIAL STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION

“Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino families are disproportionately foreign-born,” said Ben de Guzman, from the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. “Children in these LGBT families of color face the triple burden of race-based discrimination,homophobia, and xenophobia. LGBT families where the parents or children areimmigrants are particularly vulnerable.”

Children being raised in LGBT families ofcolor also face:

• Decreased access to health insurance.  While 74% of white workers receive health insurance coverage through work, only 42% of Latino workers, 50% of black workers, and 69% of Asian/Pacific Islander workers receive such coverage through their employers. LGBT families also face reduced access because most employers are not required to cover either the same-sex partners of their workers or that partner’s children.

• Bullying and harassment impeding their ability to learn.  Children may be bullied or harassed based on their own race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity—or that of their parents. For example, a survey of LGBT parents and their school-age children found that 40% of students with LGBT parents reported being verbally harassed because of their families, and 43% of students of color with LGBT parents said that they had experienced harassment because of their race and ethnicity.

“In addition to racial/ethnic stereotypes and discrimination, LGBT families of color also face invisibility within the broader communities to which they belong and may have difficulty accessing appropriate services,” said Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, executive director of UNID@S.  “For instance, LGBT organizations are often based in LGBT neighborhoods, but many Latina/o LGBT families do not live in these areas. On the other hand, Latina/o organizations may not have created safe spaces for LGBT families.”

COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS

LGBT Families of Color: Facts at a Glance is a companion to the All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families report released in October 2011. It summarizes 12 common-sense legal, policy and cultural solutions that, taken together, could virtually eliminate the legal inequities that hurt children living in LGBT families of color. Some of those solutions include:

• Legally recognizing LGBT families of color via parental recognition laws at the state level; marriage for gay and lesbian couples; and pathways to immigration and citizenship for binational and immigrant LGBT families.
• Providing LGBT families of color with equal access to government-based economic protections such as safety net programs. Consistent, broad definitions of family within these programs should include domestic partners and other de facto parents.
• Providing LGBT families of color and their children with equal access to health care and health insurance, as well as medical decision-making ability.
• Protecting LGBT families of color and their children with non-discrimination laws and anti-bullying policies.
• Provide LGBT families of color with accessible and culturally competent programs, services and support.

ABOUT THE REPORT PARTNERS AND CO-AUTHORS

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. NBJC’s mission is to end racism andhomophobia. Learn more at www.nbjc.org.

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations seeking to build the capacity of local LGBT AAPI organizations, invigorate grassroots organizing, develop leadership, and challenge homophobia, racism, and anti-immigrant bias. Learn more at www.nqapia.org.

The mission of Unid@s, the National Latina/oLesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Human Rights Organization is to create a multi-issue approach for advocacy, education and convening of and for ourcommunities. Guided by economic justice, feminist, environmental and pro-peace values, UNID@S joins a global effort to transform systems and policies to create the just and equitable world we know possible. Learn more at www.unidoslgbt.com.

Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project is an independent think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and analysis that help speed equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Learn more at www.lgbtmap.org.

Celebrating its 30^th Anniversary, Family Equality Council connects, supports, and represents the one million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents in this country and the two million children they are raising. Learn more atwww.familyequality.org.

The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. The Fighting Injustice to Reach Equality Initiative (FIRE) atCAP explores the intersections of race, sexual orientation, economics, and public policy.Learn more at www.americanprogress.org

NQAPIA Joins national statement from Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations in response to Super Bowl ad in Michigan

NQAPIA added its name to the list of national Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations that issued a letter condemning racist and xenophobic political discourse in this campaign season in 2012.  The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), the leading coalition of national AAPI advocacy organizations issued a letter to the Democrat and Republican National Committees condemning the rise of political rhetoric that plays on racism and anti-immigrant sentiment.  This letter particularly responded to the racially charged political ad aired by former Congressman Pete Hoekstra in Michigan during the 2012 Superbowl.

NQAPIA Co-Director for Programs Ben de Guzman was able to address these issues in Michigan with students at the University of Michigan as part of OCA’s APIA-U Leadership 101 program, as well as at an event hosted by APIA-Vote Michigan.  Being in Michigan while this issue is still causing ripples in the political landscape, even as the community prepares for the 30^th anniversary of the beating death of Vincent Chin in Detroit was particularly meaningful.

NQAPIA and its partners helped raise the profile of Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) again this year at Creating Change: The National Conference on LGBT Equality.  Put on by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Creating Change is one of (if not the) largest LGBT social justice conferences in the country.  This year, Creating Change was held January 25-29 in “Charm City” at the Hilton Baltimore and featured a number of sessions put on by NQAPIA, including:

1)   AAPI Institute: A day-long session that brought together 50 participants from around the country for programming to build skills and knowledge for AAPI LGBT activists.  The AAPI Institute was put on by NQAPIA, API Equality- Los Angeles, API Equality- Northern California, and the Queer Justice Fund of Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

2)   AAPI Caucus:  A jam-packed room of over 70 AAPIs came together to connect and build community.  NQAPIA led this session, with Board members such as Alison Lin, Rakesh Modi and Anjali Chauhdry facilitating a lively discussion.

3)   We’re Here! We’re Queer! We Eat Paneer!:  This session was led by Glenn Magpantay, NQAPIA Co-Director for Development, Rakesh Modi, NQAPIA Co-Chair and former chair of Trikone, Aneesa Sen, SALGA- NYC Steering Committee Member, and focused on organizing in AAPI LGBT communities.

4)   Queer/ Trans and Immigrant Identities: Bringing Movements Together: Ben de Guzman, NQAPIA Co-Diretor for Programs led this session, along with Laurent Widjaya, from HotPot! in Philadelphia and Lisbeth Melendez- Rivera, Director of Unid@s, the  Latino/a LGBT human rights organization.

NQAPIA also supported the LGBTQ Youth of Color Reception and Town Hall Meeting, sponsored by the National Education Association’s Office of Minority Community Outreach.  This event was put on in collaboration with the National Black Justice Coalition.