SEPT 2017 | YI-YI KUNG
YI-YI, an active dissenter of the wine-whine merger, is one of the many artists in the APIENC family.
Yi-Yi grew up in Georgia where it was hard to find queer and/or Asian community and to be grounded in their identity as a queer, ace, Taiwanese American. Outside of APIENC, Yi-Yi works in tech on issues of accessibility. This feels important to Yi-Yi because it contributes to the work we can do to make things that people need (like food, shelter and community) more accessible to everyone.
After coming to the Bay Area, Yi-Yi wanted to find an organization that served either queer or Asian people. When Yi-Yi found APIENC, they were excited because they didn’t have to choose one aspect of their identity. Yi-Yi decided to go to a Dragon Fruit Project working day and since then, Yi-Yi has been volunteering with APIENC in different capacities. They continue to volunteer with APIENC because they feel welcomed – their favorite memory with APIENC was a potluck they attended because the event had a quiet space for art and a retreat from crowds, and they felt that their access needs were met. Yi-Yi also appreciates how APIENC strives to disseminate queer API stories and make them accessible to folks who may not have grown up around these types of stories.
As a current APIENC volunteer, Yi-Yi dreams for the sustainability of our livelihoods. Our community is diverse and Yi-Yi works towards a future where all of us are able to live the lives we desire.