The GAPIMNY Story

Have you ever wondered about how GAPIMNY started? Who were the founding fathers of GAPIMNY? How long has GAPIMNY been around anyway? Your questions can finally be answered! The following article was recently discovered in the archives and we are sharing this important piece of GAPIMNY history which most of you are not aware of....

"In May 1988, thirty Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbians and Gay Men gathered for a retreat in upstate New York, the first such organizing effort in the Northeast. A second retreat in October of the same year brought together twenty A&PI Gay men from Boston, Providence, Ithaca, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington DC, to establish a loosely connected, regional network. Three retreat participants--John Chin, Don Kao, and John Manzon --decided to organize locally in New York City, where no groups or organizations addressed specifically and exclusively our needs as A&PI's and as Gay Men of Color.

In March 1990, an A&PI-facilitated racism workshop sponsored by Men of All Colors Together (MACT) provided an opportunity to outreach and generate interest for New York's first Gay A&PI - only group. Later that month, seven Gay Men of Indian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean descent, immigrant and US-born, came together at the virginal encounter of GAPIMNY(Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of New York). As word spread, particularly through the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual community, our informal, bi-weekly meetings quickly grew in size. Meeting topics included coming out to family, the pros and cons of Asians & Friends, and racism in the Lesbian/Gay/bisexual Community. But the significance of these meetings had more to do with having a supportive space where we could talk freely with other A&PI Gay and Bisexual men and break the isolation we feel on the many different communities from which we come from.

The organization, especially at the embryonic stage, was not without it's growing pains. Issues of goals, structure, decision-making, operational procedures, membership, committee work, and smaller, task-specific workgroup efforts, prompted us to organize a retreat which allowed us the space and time outside the city to focus on laying the groundwork for the group. So in early June, fourteen GAPIMNY members shared visions, proposed directions, formed committees, ate, drank, and TALKED A LOT about sex. Later that month, we came out as an organization complete with a new banner at the Lesbian/Gay Heritage of Pride March joined by a sizeable contingent of Gay A/PI brothers from outside New York.

GAPIMNY's increased visibility brought new blood and energy into the group. Specific committees met to propose alternate structures, send out monthly mailings, plan support and social meetings, keep track of organization finances, and even find a catchier and shorter name for the group.

In an effort to focus meetings for both participants and facilitators, the Structural Workgroup proposed separate meetings: personal, more support/rap group meetings and general, more business-oriented and decision-making meetings. While business meetings were at times frustrating, some of our most successful and well-attended supportive meetings addressed topics like immigrant/US-born relations, HIV & AIDS, and Gay Asian sex (dildos included), issues about which everyone has strong feelings.

Other highlights that year included networking with other groups in the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual and A/PI Communities. At the end of November, GAPIMNY members joined Asian Lesbians of the East Coast(ALOEC) for a potluck dinner with more than thirty A/PI's in attendance. It was at this function that we collectively wrote the initial letter to Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund protesting their use of the racist and sexist "Miss Saigon" as their fundraiser. Numerous organizing meetings, a teach-in, a community-wide educational forum, and two demonstrations in April 1991 brought together a multi-racial group of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and straights to form the now infamous Heat IS On Miss Saigon Coalition.

Further, a workgroup made up of members from GAPIMNY and Gay Men of African Descent(GMAD) planned an interactive workshop designed to open a dialogue between Black and Asian men about the commonalities as Gay Men of Color and the tensions that often keep our communities apart. GAPIMNY members continued to be vocal and visible by participating in the Lesbian/Gay African celebration of Kwaanza in December 1990, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Day in May 1991, as well as attending monthly meetings of the Lesbian and Gay People of Color Steering Committee. In the spring of 1991, GAPIMNY co-sponsored a fundraiser organized by the Korean Lesbian and Gay Organization (KLGO) which showcased a host of Gay Asian performers and fierce drag queens.

During the 1991 Heritage of Pride March, GAPIMNY marched together with the A/PI contingent which included ALOEC and the Asian/Pacific Network, the A/PI Caucus of AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), members of KLGO and Kambal sa Lusog (Pilipinas Lesbians, Bisexuals and Gays for Progress), and the South Asian Gay Association(SAGA), New York's newest Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual A/PI group.

GAPIMNY continues to grow and regroup as we struggle with old tensions characteristic of many organizations in their infancy. New members bring energy and fresh perspectives that will propel us forward as we develop structures and a decision-making process where all of us can participate and take responsible ownership of the essential organization."This, dear readers, was the beginning of our history. Today, GAPIMNY is as strong as it's ever been and the organization's potential is endless as we head toward the millennium.