History
NQAPIA was formed out of a roundtable meeting of leaders of each of the nation’s LGBT AAPI organizations in 2005. Groups were engaged in tremendous work in their communities, but at the same time, faced many common organizational and organizing challenges. Leaders identified and developed collaborative projects that would alleviate individual groups reinventing the wheel.
NQAPIA was formed to support these groups and promote activism and advocacy at a national level and supported by the fiscal sponsorship of API Wellness Center until early 2010. NQAPIA is incorporated as a business entity in the state of New York, and received its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the IRS in August 2010.
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Mission
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, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations with allied organizations, and promote social justice values by challenging underlying causes such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and xenophobia that adversely impact our communities.
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Our Team
Rachel Figurasmith
Regine Reyes
Director of Programs​
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Regine (they/them) joined NQAPIA as the Director of Programs in August 2022. Born in the Philippines and raised in southeast San Diego, their upbringing in immigrant, working class, communities of color informs much of their intersectional approach. This lens grounds their professional and community involvement in educational equity, K-12 classroom teaching, case management, program development, event coordination, progressive media, student-initiated programs, and trauma-informed leadership development for Queer Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Color. They earned their BA in History (Race, Ethnicity, and Migration) from the University of California San Diego and their MA in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles. They treasure their role in their students’ paths to empowered and fulfilling lives.
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Regine has previously served as a co-founding Board Member and co-chair of the San Diego Queer Asian Pacific Islander Middle Eastern Desi American Coalition. In their rest time, Regine enjoys tending to their plants, cuddling their dog Goober, and spending time under the sun with chosen family.
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