National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is an American federation of Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian. and Pacific Islander LGBTQ organizations. NQAPIA was formed in 2007, as an outgrowth of the LGBT APA Roundtable working groups at the 2005 National Gay Lesbian Task Force Creating Change Conference in Oakland, CA.^[1][2] NQAPIA seeks to build the capacity of local LGBT AAPI organizations, invigorate grassroots organizing, develop leadership, and challenge homophobia, racism, and anti-immigrant bias.^[3] The organization "focuses on grass-roots organizing and leadership development."^[4]

NQAPIA works with local LGBTQ AAPI groups to address a wide range of LGBTQ AAPI issues such as speaking out for immigration reform, partnering with the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force on a national survey of the needs and concerns of LGBTQ AAPIs, support convenings for queer women and South Asians, leading workshops on organizing LGBTQ AAPIs for social change, and hosting national trainings and issue briefings for leaders of LGBTQ AAPI organizations.

Profile of LGBTQ AAPI Organizations

Thirty-four (34) LGBTQ AAPI organizations from across the United States are members of NQAPIA. Two are national organizations. Most LGBTQ AAPI organizations are located in areas with large populations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The largest population centers are in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area. Following these are the communities in New York City, the metropolitan Washington, DC Area, and New England.^[5]

Some LGBTQ AAPI organizations are organized by ethnicity or gender. 

• Seven (7) are South Asian groups.
• Two (2) are Southeast Asian groups.
• Six (6) serve specific ethnic communities, including Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Koreans.
• Five (5) are predominantly women’s organizations with Non-Profit Status (three of which are inclusive of transgender people).
• Five (5) are predominantly men’s organizations (two of which are inclusive of transgender people).
• Four (4) are LGBTQ projects of mainstream, larger AAPI organizations.
• Three (3) are specifically youth organizations, all of which are housed within larger organizations that also provide staff support.

Map of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Asian American, South Asian, and Pacific Islander Organizations

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

1.Trikone-Northwest, Seattle, WA

2. Asian Pacific Lesbian and Gays, Portland, OR

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

3. Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), San Francisco

4. Trikone, San Francisco

5. Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC), Bay Area

6. Asian Pacific Islander Queer & Questioning 25 & Under All together (AQUA25), San Francisco

7. API Equality - Northern California

8. Downe Organizing Project of Liwanag Kultural center, Daly City

9. South Bay Queer and Asian, San Jose

10. Gay Vietnamese Alliance, San Jose

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

11. API Pride Council, Los Angeles

12. API Equality - Los Angeles

13. Gay Asian Pacific Support Network (GAPSN), Los Angeles

14. Barangay - the Gay Filipino Organization of Los Angeles

15. Satrang, Southern California

16. Chinese Rainbow Association, La Habra

17. Asian American Queer Women Activists (AQWA), Los Angeles

NEW ENGLAND

18. Southeast Asian Queers united for empowerment & leadership (seaQuel), Providence, RI

19. Queer Asian Pacific alliance (QaPa), Boston, MA

20. Massachusetts Area South Asian Lambda Association (Masala)

GREATER NEW YORK AREA

21. Gay Asian & Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY)

22. Q-Wave: Queer. Women & Trans. Asian. Visible. Empowered.

23. SALGA-NYC

24. Dari Project

25. Institute for Tonghzi Studies

MID-ATLANTIC/ METRO DC AREA

26. API Queers United for Action (AQUA)

27. Asian Pacific Islander Queer Sisters (APIQS)

28. Khush - DC

29. Queer Philadelphia Asians (QPA)

MIDWEST

30. Invisible-To-Invincible, API Pride of Chicago

31. Shades of Yellow (SOY), Minneapolis, MN

THE SOUTH

32. Trikone Atlanta, GA

NATIONAL

33. Al-Fatiha Foundation

34. Asian Pacific Lesbian Bisexual Women and Transgender Network (APlBTN)

Activist Activities

Conferences:^[6]

• Every three years, NQAPIA coordinates national conferences for queer Asian Pacific Islander American Issues.Prior conferences were held in Seattle, Washington and Washington, DC in 2009 and 2012 respectively. In 2015, NQAPIA’s conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois from August 6 – 9, 2015.

Goals:

• NQAPIA wishes to network, organize, agitate, educate and build capacity for the nation’s LGBTQ API community. NQAPIA works on including folks on “every phase of conference planning, outreach, execution, and evaluation.” Specifically, NQAPIA hopes to press a positive agenda that welcomes all LGBTQ racial and ethnic minority groups into the “full-fold of their families, society, the LGBT movement, and the AAPI community.”

Activities:

Conference programming, including workshops, panel discussions, presentations, open forums, caucuses, daylong strategy meetings and performance art was allowed due to a public Request for Proposals (RFP) for the LGBTQ API community.

• Caucuses: Provide opportunities for community members to network based on their region, topic, identity (i.e. women, trans*, students/youth, bisexuality, South Asian, polyamory etc.)
• Conference-Wide Plenaries: address Racial Justice, Trans* Justice and International Solidarity.

• General Membership Meetings: Strategic opportunity discussions which are catalysts for future plans, feedback forums, and evaluations at the end of each conference.

• National Community Catalyst Awards Banquet: Which honors folks that have proven to improve the lives of the API LGBTQ community.
• Social and Cultural Activities: Allow NQAPIA con-goers recharge themselves, connect with one another, and recognize their cultural backgrounds.
• Workshops: Cover a wide array of topics on politics, organizing, professional development, skills, arts and culture, health and wellness, fundraising, and much more.

Summits

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) organizes a weekend long training and issues briefing for leaders of LGBTQ API organizations. Local leaders from across the nation convene to network, learn about current issues, share strategies, and build the infrastructure of their respective organizations. In 2013, the NQAPIA Summit was in Hawai’i. NQAPIA Summits alternate between West and East Coasts.^[7]

Programs & Campaigns

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) curates projects and campaigns which empower the queer Asian communities around the nation with the “LGBT Immigrants’ Rights and Immigration Reform, Multilingual Visibility Campaign, Capacity Building Resources for Local Organizations, and Participation in Current Issues projects.”^[8]

References

1. "An LGBTQ Asian Pacific Islander Movement". Racial Equality Perspectives. Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
2. "NQAPIA Charter" (PDF). NQAPIA. NQAPIA. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
3. NQAPIA home page
4. "Transgender Resources". New York Times. May 5, 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
5. "Queer Asian Compass" (PDF).
6. "About the Conference | NQAPIA". www.nqapia.org. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
7. "July 25th-28th: Hawaiʻi Summit (2013) // A Training and Issue Briefing for Leaders of LGBT AAPI Organizations | NQAPIA". www.nqapia.org. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
8. "PROGRAMS + CAMPAIGNS | NQAPIA". www.nqapia.org. Retrieved 2015-05-30.