Get Your Game On for a Cause!
Friday, March 18th, 2011 | 8pm
LGBT Community Center
208 W 13th St
New York, NY
Bring your game face because GAPIMNY is hosting a Game Night to benefit the Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief effort. You may offer your own support through http://american.redcross.org/Earthquake.
Come out and hang out with your fellow queer API New Yorkers as we get down with Taboo, Wii, Bananagrams, Dominion, Apples to Apples, and who knows how many other games! Roll dice, throw down cards, and swing your Wiimotes for a good cause!
This event is open to all. If you want to bring your own game to share, please shoot an e-mail to rsvp@gapimny.org and tell us what you’re bringing!
GAPIMNY in AIDS Walk New York 2011
Dear Community Member,
Please join GAPIMNY for this year’s AIDS Walk New York on Sunday, May 15th 2011!
We’ll walk, talk, and fundraise towards ending AIDS. Please visit the GAPIMNY team page to join and/or donate!
EVENT INFO:
8:30am: check-in begins
9:15am: opening ceremonies begin
10am: AIDS Walk begins
GAPIMNY will meet in front of the water fountain on 5th Ave between 59th and 58th St (across the street from the Apple Store) by 9:30am.
Open Letter to the LGBT Community Center from QAPI Groups
March 7, 2011
We, the undersigned Queer Asian Pacific Islander groups, are very concerned with the LGBT Community Center’s decision on canceling the scheduled March 5th “Party to End Apartheid” event. The Center has a long history in providing a space, for many LGBTQ and other vulnerable groups, to hold dialogue and give voices to explore conflicts, issues and resolutions. The Siegebusters Working Group, while not identified a LGBTQ group, it is a minority voice seeking to address oppression and deserves a safe space.
In cancelling this event and disallowing Siegebusters Working Group from meeting at the Center, the center comes across as supporting censorship. The LGBTQ movement has always had many voices, and suppressing these voices does not serve to make the center a “safe haven for LGBT groups and individuals.” Social justice and open dialogue has always been a central part of LGBTQ organizing. Many of us in the QAPI Community believe that queer rights are human rights, and therefor human rights issues in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict are inexorably linked to our struggle for queer rights.
We are pleased to know that there will be an open forum to help clarify and possibly amend this decision, and we believe that the outcome will be supported with full consideration of justice. LGBTQ minorities have always found a safe space at the center, and we hope that this space continues to exist for us. Thank you very much.
Your Truly,
SALGA, Q-WAVE & GAPIMNY
The Gayborhood: A QAPI Townhall
Meet your brother and sisters in our annual Town hall meeting. We’ll be sharing our stories and learning from each other as we start the new year. Come and spend a night sharing your thoughts and ideas, and learning how you can help our community to be stronger, safer, and healthier. Representatives from Audre Lorde Project, APICHA, Barangay, Dari Project, GAPIMNY, NQAPIA, Q-WAVE and SALGA will be there to share their insights on what will be in store for 2011!
Note: GAPIMNY will be holding our annual steering committee election from 8:00PM - 8:20PM. All GAPIMNY members can take part in our election and are welcome to attend and meet our newest steering committee members. The meeting will start soon afterward.
Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 21th, 8:20PM - 10:00PM (Elections at 8:00PM)
Location: The LGBT Center, 208 W. 13th St. between 7th & 8th Ave.
THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO ALL ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER LGBTSTQGNC COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
LGBT Asian American/South Asian Lawyers Presentation and Cocktail Reception
Join us in celebrating Lunar New Year and LGBT diversity within the APA/API community
Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
6:30 to 9 pm
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
125 Broad Street
Between Water and South Street
Downtown New York, NY 10004
Featuring remarks from Ben de Guzman, Co-Director for Programs at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and a national 2009 Unsung Hero by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, who will share insights into the current political climate for the LGBT and Asian American/South Asian communities in Washington, DC and its implications for the Big Apple.
Fabulous conversation - fabulous food - fabulous friends- old and new.
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Annual Thanksgiving Party
Give thanks. Give Back.
Join us for our Annual Thanksgiving Party!
Saturday November 20 - 6pm to 10pm; Dinner served at 7pm
@ Anthony Lee’s Residence, Queens
There’s no doubt that this year has had its fair share of hurdles. But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, GAPIMNY wants to celebrate and be thankful for the great community of friends that we have today, with our annual Thanksgiving Party! Come celebrate the season with delicious home cooked meal by our perennial chef extraordinaire, Aaron Yap, good company, and entertaining activities. Doors open at 6pm and dinner will be served at 7pm.
This year in light of the recent string of publicity surrounding gay teen suicide, we’re asking that you consider rounding up your $15 cover to $20, so that we can pool our resources together for a gift to the Trevor Project, a suicide hotline for gay teens nationwide.
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Racism in Gay Clubs: The Facts
What happened?
Starting in 2009, the weekly Friday night gay party, Rock It (originally at Amalia, now at Quo), has become notorious for turning away gay Asian and Pacific Islander (API) men. From our request of stories since August 2010, GAPIMNY has collected numerous, detailed stories that demonstrate a pattern of racial discrimination at Rock It. Although these instances were sporadic, they occurred often enough to raise many people’s attention and elicit strong reactions especially since there were clear cases of unequal treatment i.e. white patrons (same sized groups, arrival time, and dress) entering the club when gay API men were denied.
These experiences speak to greater social issues: assumptions that APIs don’t count or are dispensable; APIs don’t fight back; APIs don’t have or spend enough; APIs are undesirable/unattractive; gay APIs travel in groups and don’t socialize with others. This list goes on.
We also know that these incidents are neither new nor isolated to our community. For years, community activists in NYC have fought discrimination against all gay men of color, transgender individuals and women at popular gay bars/clubs.
We must build on this legacy and ensure that any discrimination based on race, gender and gender expression is stopped.
GAPIMNY mobilizes:
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Protect yourself:
Protect yourself when you go to a bar or club in NYC. Know that the community and the law are on your side. There are federal, state, and municipal civil rights laws prohibiting racially discriminatory behavior at these venues. And there’s a deep history of community and legal action against bars and clubs that discriminate based on race. Below are useful tips if you experience racial discrimination by bar or club staff.
1. Assert yourself. (Call out racist behavior and don’t be afraid to threaten legal action)
2. Take photos and videos. This is legally permissible.
3. If possible, request to speak with management and file a complaint.
4. Gather names of perpetrators (bartenders, bouncers, dancers, DJs, etc.).
5. Gather witnesses, esp. strangers (names, numbers, e-mail addresses).
6. If a non-API or non-person of color is allowed entry when you are denied, get his/her info and story (to demonstrate unequal treatment).
7. Record the location, date, and time of the incident.
8. Notify GAPIMNY (www.tinyurl.com/racismgayclubreport).
9. If you have an account with Yelp or another review site, we encourage you to write a review of your experience.
