Jan 2020 | Kyle

Kyle (he/him) identifies as a queer trans guy and has been involved with APIENC for a year now and became more involved when he joined APIENC’s Trans Justice Committee. Kyle currently works at a tiny biotech startup doing graphic design and marketing and has hopes of positioning himself as a science communicator/illustrator in the food biotech industry.

Before coming to APIENC, Kyle spent time in college volunteering in food justice, environmental, and animal liberation spaces. His political awakening started at the California Student Sustainability Coalition convergence, where his 18-year-old self learned about environmental racism. Then through the occupy movements and the movement for black lives, he learned more about the validity and power of disruptive forms of activism. In addition to having the fortune of befriending so many warm, friendly and inspiring people, Kyle was able to broaden his ideological framework in each of the spaces he’s been in.

When asked why he likes volunteering with APIENC, Kyle said:

“It feels great to have found a solid network of queer and trans API folks doing rad organizing. I feel that the work we do is so important, and I really cherish the friends I’ve made through APIENC.”

He loves the amount of fun at the Trans Justice Committee meetings, will always remember the “held and fed” memes and Sammie’s embarrassing high-five story.

In addition to being able to uproot oppressive structures in order to secure our physical and emotional needs, Kyle hopes the QTAPI community can continue to learn from and support each other, foster a culture of open discourse where folks assume positive intent, and heal such that we can navigate intra-community conflict in healthy ways.