All Posts

  • Building a world of safety, dignity, and care is up to us.Building a world of safety, dignity, and care is up to us.
    The summer after I realized I was trans, I spent a lot of time online. I wanted to learn about other trans people and be seen in my experiences. The internet helped me do so discreetly, during a time when ...
  • Now, we do as we’ve always done.Now, we do as we’ve always done.
    The day after the 2016 election, I woke up, logged onto social media, and saw outcries of anger and fear from my friends. On that day, I wrote a commitment to myself, and an invitation to others: “We are the people ...
  • Writings from #QTAPIClimateStoriesWritings from #QTAPIClimateStories
    On Saturday Sept. 19th 2020, APIENC’s Ecological Justice League (fka TTAC) brought folks together for a fun and creative Writing and Haiku Party! Participants engaged and connected with each other in order to better articulate their connection with and the ...
  • Paige ChungPaige Chung
    Sept 2020 | PAIGE CHUNG Image description: Paige is indoors smiling at the camera. Paige (she/they) is a poet and a skater. In their own words, “My last writing project Nail Trap is juicier than your neighborhood gossip and my current project ...
  • You Matter: Video Reflection on LEX 2020You Matter: Video Reflection on LEX 2020
    LEX & the APIENC family brought so much… so many things, but what i’m most thankful for is the healing that it brought to me when i felt too overwhelmed to know where to start, & i want to share ...
  • The Main Ingredient to Interdependence is Relationship BuildingThe Main Ingredient to Interdependence is Relationship Building
    When we took on the role of coordinating APIENC’s Summer Mutual Aid Project, we were both fairly new to APIENC, just joining as a volunteer and Summer Organizer. Despite our newness, we understood the importance of mutual aid in this ...
  • Hello are you there? Reflections from our Dragon Fruit Phone TreeHello are you there? Reflections from our Dragon Fruit Phone Tree
    It all started with the Dragon Fruit Project (DFP) reunion, scheduled to happen on March 21, 2020. Since last December, a volunteer team had been planning for an in-person event to celebrate all those who had contributed to our intergenerational ...
  • We Are Worthy of Support: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 2)We Are Worthy of Support: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 2)
    I haven’t always felt comfortable asking for help. Previously, I thought asking for help meant I was not “good enough,” and I thought that struggling on my own was a reflection of true strength. I learned this mindset from my ...
  • Self-Determination & Queer Power: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 1!)Self-Determination & Queer Power: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 1!)
    To me, APIENC is love — love that the world desperately needs. As a chronically ill, Việt, queer, nonbinary person, I felt unheard, othered, and silenced for far too long, by nearly everyone in my life in some way. I don’t ...
  • Vulnerability is Power: Reflections from LEX 2020Vulnerability is Power: Reflections from LEX 2020
    There I was, on a zoom call with over 30 people who I had just met the weekend before, having a vulnerable one-on-one conversation with Sammie for everyone to watch. This was during the third session of APIENC’s annual Leadership Exchange, ...
  • #QTAPIClimateStories#QTAPIClimateStories
    APIENC’s Ecological Justice League (fka TTAC, Think and Take Action Cohort for Climate Justice) Presents: #QTAPIClimateStories Writing and Haiku Party for Queer and Trans Asian & Pacific Islander People A Climate Justice Storytelling Project Register here!👉 bit.ly/QTAPIClimateStories 👈 Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Environmental Network ...
  • Gem DatuinGem Datuin
    Jul 2020 | Gem Datuin Image description: Gem stands outdoors amongst trees holding a fluffy gray dog in their arm while slyly smiling at the camera. Gem Datuin (they/them) identifies as a queer, non-binary, pilipinx feminist & abolitionist and has been a ...
  • We Are Trans Asian and Pasifika Leaders in Defense of Black LivesWe Are Trans Asian and Pasifika Leaders in Defense of Black Lives
    We are non-Black people of Asian and Pasifika (A&PI) descent, and we are trans, nonbinary, and many Indigenous cultural gender identities¹. We span many movements, many generations, and many organizations.  We affirm the value of Black lives, unconditionally. We are in ...
  • Black Lives Matter.Black Lives Matter.
    We, as trans and queer Asians and Pacific Islanders, believe that everybody has a role in dismantling anti-Blackness.
  • Zoe ChenZoe Chen
    May 2020 | Zoe Chen Zoe marched with us at 2019 Trans March and is now part of APIENC’s Trans Justice Committee! Her pronouns are she/her/hers and identifies as a transgender woman. Image description: Zoe is sitting and smiling outdoors on some ...
  • I attribute my survival to the healing that comes with community.I attribute my survival to the healing that comes with community.
    I don’t remember the year; I was 24, maybe 25, when I went to visit a friend in St. Vincent’s Hospital on 7th Ave in New York City. I never found him. The hospital was overrun with AIDS patients and ...
  • Now is the time to practice care, connection, and resilience. We got this.Now is the time to practice care, connection, and resilience. We got this.
    Dear APIENC community, When news of COVID-19 started to reach the U.S., APIENC staff and member leaders took time to figure out how we could prioritize connection, safety, and community all at once. We’ve heard concerns and fear from our people—worries ...
  • What will our work mean for the seven generations after us?What will our work mean for the seven generations after us?
    Click the image for the FULL graphic! Image description: colorful infographic titled “2019: How APIENC Has Grown”. Graphic by Cynthia Fong. The world is on fire. It’s no understatement to say that our people are facing political repression, overwhelming inequality, and ...
  • 2020 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!2020 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!
    Do you want to work with trans, gender nonconforming, and queer API people and communities? Do you have a commitment to social justice? Are you ready to transform, learn concrete community organizing skills, and work to build movements for change? The ...
  • KyleKyle
    Jan 2020 | Kyle Image description: Kyle is outdoors and smiling on a balcony overlooking a lush forest and a mountain in the background. Kyle (he/him) identifies as a queer trans guy and has been involved with APIENC for a year now ...