Join GAPIMNY as we launch our fall season with a trip to Chinatown for some old-fashioned noodles and dim sum.
Wo Hop
Where: 17 Mott Street (near Mosco Street and Chatham Square), New York, NY 10002
When: Sunday, October 2nd, 2011, 1:00 pm
RSVP: Please email rsvp@gapimny.org by midnight, Friday, September 30th.
Don’t use racist language and imagery to promote your party.
Whether or not it was your intent, your party theme, complete with the painfully titled “Sum Hung Boys erotic dance troupe,” and woefully insensitive “Happy Endings massage den” evoked an caricatured image of the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community that has been historically used to oppress us and our families. There is a difference between celebrating or even poking fun at people and exploiting words and images that have historically oppressed AAPI people in this country for centuries.
Additionally, queer AAPIs face double exclusion not only from homophobia in their home communities, but also racism in the LGBT community. When gay men nonchalantly evoke references to “yellowface” caricatures, joke about sexual tourism in Asia i.e. “happy endings”, ladyboys, etc., and reduce our multi-faceted and extremely diverse ethnicities to the Asian equivalent of “Uncle Tom”… it dehumanizes queer AAPIs and further marginalizes us from the LGBT community.
We are thankful that you have heard the outcry from our community, apologized, and changed your party title and theme simply to “Dong Emporium.” But, many of our issues extend well beyond the words and images to the actual content of the party. Yellowface or ching chong chants, for example, would be bad form. There’s a difference between celebrating a community and exploiting a community.
We want this to be a teachable moment for you and the community at large. We love to party. You love to party. Let’s party in a way that brings us together rather than pushing us apart.
And if you’re really interested in hosting an Asian-themed party that celebrates our heritage rather than exploits it? Well, we’re all for that and would be happy to give some suggestions.
Sincerely,
GAPIMNY Steering Committee
Friday, September 23
Topaz Thai Restaurant
127 W 56th Street (between 6th and 7th Ave)
New York, New York
Friday, 9/23/11, 8pm
Dinner Discussion
The Empire State: Post Same-Sex Marriage
Please join us for an open forum on life in the Big Apple after Marriage Equality. What does this mean for the AAPI community. Do you plan/want to get married? How does this effect binational couples? We want to hear from you!
RSVP: please email rsvp@gapimny.org by Wednesday, 9/21/11, evening.
MinKwon Center’s Korean drumming group, BINARI, is the group that has helped us drum for Pride and the Lunar New Year Parade, and now they are aiming to raise $4,000 towards the purchase of new drums! They have raised $985 so far and are still seeking to raise the rest before September 30th.
The $4,000 will help them buy:
If you want to check out more about BINARI, check out MinKwon’s website.
You can see more details about the campaign & track its progress here. Tax-deductible donations can be made at the link above or online. (Donations made at minkwon.org are preferred due to lower processing fees. Just be sure to designate your donation to BINARI.)
Downetime is turning 4 years old! Come celebrate with us at Xe Lua, a Vietnamese restaurant, in Chinatown. Let’s have some dinner, celebrate the past 4 years of building community and help set the stage for Downetime in the coming year. Come on out and meet the community. Let us know you are planning on coming by e-mailing rsvp@gapimny.org with the subject “Downetime dinner”
WHEN? Thursday, September 15, 8-10 PM
WHERE? Xe Lua , 86 Mulberry Street
This month’s meeting is open to queer and questioning Asian men and trans folk in their 20s. Former and new members of Downetime are encouraged to attend. And if you don’t want dinner but just want to chat and mingle, come anyway!
DowneTime is a monthly GAPIMNY confidential support and discussion group open to self-identified young adult queer Asian/Asian American men/ transgender people of all experience levels. The group’s goals are to create a safe space for young queer Asian/Asian American men/transgender people to discuss issues and shared experiences relating to identity, community, and activism. Learn more about us: http://www.gapimny.org/downetime/
This event is sponsored by GAPIMNY (Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York).
Questions/concerns? E-mail us at downetime@gmail.com
Join GAPIMNY as we chow down on some crispy katsu this Labor Day weekend.
Catch up with some old friends — and maybe make some new ones.
Katsu Hama
Where: 43-45 West 55th Street (Between 5th and 6th Avenues) New York, NY 10019
When: Sunday, September 4th, 2011, 1:00 pm
RSVP: Please email rsvp@gapimny.org by midnight, Friday, September 2nd.
All friends of GAPIMNY are welcome. Hope to see you there!
