Image description: cartoon dragonfruit inside pink circle with the words "dragonfruit" in it
Image description: cartoon dragonfruit inside pink circle with the words “dragonfruit” in it

The Dragon Fruit Project

October 1, 2013 — By sammie

“Working with the Dragon Fruit project as a transcriber has been an opportunity for me to self-reflect on my identity as a queer Asian, connect with others, and hear compelling histories of love and activism unfold. These stories are so important.  Understanding the severe lack of queer Asian role models during the 60s, 70s, and 80s made me realize how I am able to find strength and comfort by being in community with people who look like me. As I continue to work on this project, I am reminded again and again of the absence of these narratives in history textbooks and the mainstream. However, I am energized by all of the exciting possibilities of this project. At a recent team meeting, we sat down with some of the interviewees to discuss the potential of this project to not only bridge gaps in common knowledge, but also generational gaps among LGTBQ API individuals.”

– Esther Kang
Dragon Fruit Participant

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The Dragon Fruit Project is an inter-generational oral history project that explores queer Asian Pacific Islanders and their experiences with love and activism in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. We’re partnering with historian Amy Sueyoshi and award-winning filmmaker Tina Takemoto to collect and preserve these stories (in written, digital, and video forms) and use them as on- and offline educational and organizing resources.  We’ll share them with organizers, teachers, historians, and community members to be used in classrooms, workshops, and training.

Interested in joining the Dragon Fruit Project team?  No experience required!  All you need is a great attitude and a willingness to make a small time commitment.  We’re looking for folks who would like to conduct and/or transcribe interviews, be interviewed, and outreach to bring our materials to campuses, classrooms, and groups. Email tracy@apiequalitync.org for more information or sign up here.