Dec 2019 | Aloe

A member of APIENC’s Core Committee and Trans Justice Working Group, Aloe identifies as a queer and trans person on the ace spectrum. 

Outside of APIENC, Aloe works as a legal assistant at a law firm in San Francisco. They also keep up with some of the API student organizations they volunteered with during school, but APIENC is their main organization. When asked about where they are today, they express a lot of gratitude. They are especially thankful for the folks in their circle who were born and raised in the Bay Area and continue to do community building here. They give a lot of love and credit to their chosen family of QTPOC here in the Bay who have literally kept them alive for the past 4 years. In their own words…

“APIENC is a space that has really seen me go through different stages of my life as a 20 something QTAPI person. It’s a space where I feel like I can be myself, and the volunteering that I have been lucky to do feels really radical because it changed how I thought of myself as a community organizer. We talk a lot about how 1 on 1s are a building block to the work that we do and it’s absolutely true. It still amazes me when I have 1 on 1s with people and they learn about APIENC and there’s this magic that happens. That reminds me of when I had my 1 on 1 with MLin back in 2016. I volunteer because of that. So the magic that I felt can be shared and felt by many many people in the community.”

Their favorite moment with APIENC was all the free food and booze at the post pride party in City Hall. Just kidding! The pre Trans March teach-in was a highlight for Aloe because it was one of the first times that there were as many folks new to APIENC in the room as those who have already been involved.

Aloe hopes that the QTAPI community will continue to care for and love each other. Fun fact: Aloe likes Oreos and their favorite chip is the dill pickle flavored kettle chip.