•  APIQWTC's Lunar New Year Banquet
  
  More Info
  
  Saturday, April 12th
  5pm - 10pm

  House of Banquet
  939 Clement St
  San Francisco, CA
  (415) 221-9888

  Updated 4/8/08:
  This event is SOLD-OUT!!! 
  
  Thank you all for the tremendous interest in this year’s Lunar New Year Banquet. Individual and Senior/Student tickets are SOLD OUT!!!
  
  Only 10 Sponsor level tickets are left.
  
  The remaining sponsor tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis. As a sponsor, you get VIP Reception access to come rub elbows with Jenny Shimizu and get early seating. Please click here for more info on pricing.
  
  If you are interested in these final 10 Sponsor tickets, please contact us directly at banquet@apiqwtc.org

  Read the awesome article in the B.A.R. (published on 4/3/08)

  The APIQWTC banquet committee has gone all out to make this year a celebration to remember. With all the goodies you’ve come to expect from the APIQWTC Banquet with a touch of glam. Come see old friends and make new ones.
  
  YES, it's the Year of the RAT! And APIQWTC's lunar new year / spring banquet is on again.  This is our 21st annual banquet and it will be in San Francisco for a change!!!
  
  This year's entertainment is loaded with LOTS of FUN - performances, dancing, a silent auction, and raffle drawings. Jenny Shimizu is our celebrity emcee and this year's Phoenix Award Honorees are Trinity Ordona and Desiree Thompson.
  
  For more information about our banquet, please click here.
  
  And, the tradition continues - a free commemorative mug will be given away at the banquet. This year's design is once again a top secret!!! :-)
  
  We always need LOTS of volunteers to help out for the banquet, please contact Ginny Eng at ginny@apiqwtc.org with subject 'API Banquet'. A limited number of scholarships are available for volunteers.

  
   
• APIQWTC's Gatherings at Dinah Shore
  
  March 28th - April 1st
  Palm Springs, CA
  
  APIQWTC is making its 1st attempt to have the Gatherings at the biggest women's party, the Dinah Shore's at Palm Springs!
  
  The Gatherings will be held through out the weekend at the White Diamond Party and the Logo Pool Party. Look for the Banner and Come network with other members!
  
  Please contact Julie Chen at the Wyndham Hotel at 760.322.6000 or email her at jchen@apiqwtc.org for details.
  
  
   
• "DreamSpeakers" by Purple Moon Dance
  
  Wednesday, March 12th
  Brava Theatre Center
  2789 24th Street (near York)
  San Francisco, CA
  
  You're Invited!
  
  A gala benefit for Purple Moon Dance Project with special guests Wendy Tokuda and Rhiannon!!!
  
  In Honor of DreamSpeakers will honor 5 women artists whose work has inspired us and reflects the lives of lesbians and women of color, including:  Carolyn Brandy, Terry Sendgraff, Sharon Page Ritchie, Susanne Takehara, and Roban San Miguel.
  
  Program & Performances:  7pm
  Dessert Reception:  8:30pm
  
  Ticket: $75
  
  To more information or to order tickets, please contact Purple Moon at (415) 552-1105 or project@purplemoondance.org. Or, visit our website www.purplemoondance.org
  
  
   
• CATWALK '08
  By API Wellness Center
  
  Saturday, March 22
  7PM
  SOMARTS Gallery
  934 Brannan
  (between 8th & 9th Streets)
  San Francisco, CA
  
  15 beautiful and intelligent Male-to-Female transgender women on a 60 foot runway. Hosted by Tita Aida with guest performance by Josh Klipp and Veronica Klaus. This event will be benefit Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center!
  
  Tickets: $25 Advance, $30 At the door
  
  Ticket available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/25351
  For more information: www.catwalkusa.com
  
   
• APIQWTC's Gatherings at Dinah Shore
  
  April 2nd - 6th
  Palm Springs, CA
  
  APIQWTC made its 1st attempt last year to have the Gatherings at the biggest women's party, the Dinah Shore's at Palm Springs!
  
  The Gatherings was held throughout the weekend at the White Diamond Party and the Logo Pool Party. If you are interested in helping other members to network at Dinah Shore, please contact us at apiqwtc@apiqwtc.org !
  
  
   
• "WALK AGAINST RAPE"
     -- By San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR)
  
  Saturday, April 26
  
  10AM - Walk
  Justin Herman Plaza
  Noon - Rally
  Dolores Mission Park
  
  Sexual violence touches all of our lives, Walk Against Rape is the chance to say NO! to sexual violence in our communities. March with us as we speak out against sexual violence and rape. Let's make our voices and stories known. Silence is not golden!
  
  As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Walk Against Rape will be held on April 26th. Walk Against Rape is a 3.1 mile walk starting at Justin Herman Plaza at 10am and culminating in a rally at noon in Dolores Mission Park. Walkers will arrive in the park to find speakers, performances, the Clothesline Project on display, prizes for the highest fundraisers, several community organizations who will be offering information and resources, and food and drink. Walkers interested in participating can download a registration form and begin to collect donations from their friends and family. All proceeds will benefit San Francisco Women Against Rape. Please check out www.sfwar.org/walk
  
   
• LGBTQ Family Night at the YMCA (10th Anniversary)
     -- By Our Family Coalition
  
  Saturday, April 26
  5PM - 9PM
  Berkeley YMCA
  2001 Allston Way
  Berkeley, CA
  
  Come join OFC for the 10th anniversary of our signature event! Hordes of LGBTQ parents and children enjoy socializing and the myriad activities planned by the YMCA, including swimming for all ages, arts and crafts, kindergym, sports, activities for older children, and loads of entertainment.
  
  THIS IS AN RSVP EVENT: Call 510-665-3238 and include in your message your name, phone number, number of people, and ages of children. Knowing children’s ages helps us plan for activities and food.
  
  Cost: $3 per person. Children under two are Free. $10 maximum per family
  
  OFC has many wonderful regular events weekly and/or monthly. Please check their website at www.ourfamily.org/calendar.html
  
  
   
• Dragonfruit Dragon Boat Team
  
  We (a bunch of API Queers) had a blast last year, with our excellent cute shirts and our excellent attitudes!
  
  This is a novice event, so there's limited space for "experienced and active" dragon-boaters. Otherwise, if you've never done this before, now is your chance!
  
  Practices will happen in late Spring, depending on people's schedules.
  
  This is a fundraiser for www.Paddleforlife.org  - funding cancer survivor, support and research organizations.
  
  If you'd like to know more about dragon boat, please contact Deb at deb@apiqwtc.org. Or, checkout www.bayareadragons.org or www.dragonmax.org
  
  
   
• Kulture Kulcha 2008
  
  Friday, May 2
  7pm - 1am
  (11am - 1am for Dance Only)
  The California Ballroom
  1736 Franklin St. (at 19th St.)
  Oakland, CA 94612
  
  Kulture Kulcha - or “a mix of cultures” - reflects Trikone’s incredibly diverse membership and allies, from across South Asia and all over the world. It is an evening dedicated to celebrating our unique fusion of identities. A night filled with passionate performances, dances, spoken word, comedy and color. Be prepared for delectable South Asian food, unforgettable performances, and pounding Desi beats from our very own DJ. And that’s not all. Like last year, KK will also feature community art, trendy Trikone merchandise, and a cash bar.
  
  7 PM to 8.30 PM - Music Videoes and delicious Indian buffet dinner
  8.30 PM to 10.30 PM - Kulture Kulcha Performances and Raffle Prizes
  10.30 PM to 1 AM - Dance Party
  
  For more info and tickets, please visit http://www.trikone.org/kk.html
  
  Trikone is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people of South Asian descent.
  
  Trikone offers a supportive, empowering and non-judgmental environment, where LGBT South Asians can meet, make connections and proudly promote awareness and acceptance of their sexuality in society.
  
  Trikone works toward the following goals:
  
  1) bring people of South Asian heritage together
  2) promote awareness, visibility and cultural and legal acceptance of people
      with alternative sexual orientations and gender identities
  3) help people to proudly affirm both their South Asian identity as well as
      their sexual orientation
  
  For more information visit www.trikone.org or email trikone@trikone.org
  
   
• Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble --
  20th Anniversary Spring Concert
  
  May 16 (San Francisco)
  May 17 (Oakland)
  
  Come listen and enjoy our singing!!!
  
  Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble is a diverse group of women that strives, through an eclectic mix of a cappella music, to reflect the lives of women and the varied communities to which we belong, to fight oppression in all its forms, and to offer strength and inspiration to others with our visibility as lesbians. Voices formed in 1988 and rehearses on Tuesday nights in Oakland.
  
  Please check  their website for details about this 20th anniversary concerts on May 16th and 17th.
  
  For more info, please call (510) 486-8984 or email voicesinfo@gmail.com. Website: www.voiceslce.org
  
  
   
• BLOOM: OPEN YOUR HEART
  by A&PI Wellness Center
  
  Saturday, May 17
  5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
  City View at the Metreon
  101 4th Street (at Mission)
  San Francisco, California 94103
  
  Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center’s 4th Annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: a Spring gathering featuring entertainment and community awards. 
  
  Contact:  Joseph Cavan, joseph@apiwellness.org, 415-292-3420 ext. 330
  
  Click here to Register Online.
  
  Download the Sponsor RSVP form now.
   

• 4th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival
  presented by Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP)
  
  June 13,14,15
  Brava Theater
  2781 24th Street, San Francisco
  Film Screenings: FREE
  
  The 4th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival showcases the explosive stories of our community, from the quick turns of a dyke couple on a mission to conceive to the fierce shimmy of big bodacious babes to the dynamic strut of a queer secret agent, these fly films will let you get down, get funky and get loose!
  
  Friday, June 13
  
  Opening Night Screening: KINDRED QUEERS
  Doors Open & Reception @ 6:00pm, Screening @ 7:30pm FREE
  
  From a young girl's magical waltz with the moon to the quick turns of a dyke couple on a mission to conceive, these films will shake you in a samba of spirit and determination.  Followed by Q&A with filmmakers.
  After Party: Heavy Rotation at El Rio (3158 Mission St, SF)
  
  Saturday, June 14
  
  Panel Discussion: PRATIBHA PARMAR
  Doors Open & Reception @ 1:00pm
  Screening @ 2:00pm $10-$20
  
  Join us as we explore what it means to represent queer API women in the media. Films include: Khush, Wavelengths, and Bhangra Jig. Panel discussion moderated by Helen Zia.
  
  Featured Screening: FROM QUEER API WOMEN WITH LOVE
  
  2 Screenings:
  Doors Open & Reception @ 4pm, Screening @ 5pm FREE
  Doors Open & Reception @ 7pm, Screening @ 8:00pm FREE
  
  From a tricky tap dance with immigration agents, to lyrical interpretations of grief, to the dynamic strut of a queer secret agent, these powerhouse combinations are a vibrant groove of heritage, humor and insight.
  
  Sunday, June 15
  
  Centerpiece Screening: SEXILY SUBVERSIVE
  Doors Open & Reception @ 2:00pm
  Screening @ 3:00pm FREE
  
  From a 12-year-old who tiptoes around her boyish desires, to the visual legacies embodied by Black women, to the fierce shimmy of big bodacious babes, these films will spin, sway and swing you on the streets and between the sheets.
   
  Closing Night Screening: DELECTABLY YOURS
  Doors Open & Reception @ 5:00pm
  Las Bomberas de la Bahia Performance @ 5:45pm
  Screening @ 6:00pm
  
  From a yummy chance encounter over Pho noodles, to a rebellious zapateado against green tortillas, to tasty platanos from the lands of merengue, salsa and calypso, these delectable films will move you while they satisfy your hunger for community and connection.
  
  Closing Night Party: Zap the Monkey Bar (2730 21st St., SF)
  
  For more information:
  www.QWOCMAP.org, festival@qwocmap.org, 415-752-0868
  
   
• San Francisco International
  LGBT Film Festival by FRAMELINE
  
  June 19-29
  
  Castro Theatre
  the Roxie Cinema
  Victoria Theatre
  Cinemas Elmwood
  
  Tickets on sale: May 23 (members) & Mey 30 (general public). Tickets are available at Superstar Satellite video store located at 474 Castro Street (between Market and 18th Street in San Francisco) from 1pm - 8pm daily, online at www.frameline.org/festival, by phone at 415-703--8655 and by fax at 415-522-5543.
  
  APIQWTC will be co-presenting the following programs:
  
  DRIFTING FLOWERS   (2 showings)
  Sunday June 22  7:00 pm  Castro Theatre
  http://www.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?FID=42&id=1440
  
  Thursday June 26  9:30 pm  Rialto Cinemas Elmwood
  http://www.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?FID=42&id=1440
  
  Taiwanese director Zero Chou (Spider Lilies, Frameline31) offers up three subtle, interwoven lesbian tales of the lost and found nature of love. The first segment opens with a fragile domestic bliss cobbled together by Jing (Serena Fang), a beautiful, blind nightclub singer, and her younger sister Meigo (Pai Chih-ying). Butch accordionist  Chalkie (the striking Chao Yi-lan) upsets the balance by falling for Jing and inspiring Meigo¹s first big crush. To offer Meigo a more secure future, Jing is convinced to place her in foster care with a wealthy family, causing Meigo to rage with jealousy and betrayal and  risk losing both of the women she loves.
  
  The middle story belongs to Lily (Lu Yi-ching), an Alzheimer¹s patient endlessly searching in her disintegrating memory for her lost lover, Ocean. When Yen (Sam Wang), her sham husband from long ago, leaves his unfaithful boyfriend and comes to visit with his own suitcase of troubles, Lily often mistakes him for the butch Ocean returned, and the two wounded friends build on a sympathy they¹ve always shared.
  
  The final segment follows Chalkie, coming of age with best pal Yen and coming to terms with her repulsion at her own budding body and her complicated feelings for girls. She meets the young Lily and both claim their futures, which arrive in unexpected ways. ‹ CAROL HARADA
  
  OUT: SMASHING HOMOPHOBIA PROJECT
  Saturday June 28  12:00 pm  Roxie Film Center
  http://www.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?FID=42&id=1306
  
  Out is the second installation from WOM, the Feminist Video Activism¹s Smashing Homophobia Project,² building on Lesbian Censorship in School 1 (2005). Founded in 2001, WOM aims to create a women¹s movement through collective audio-visual works, with previous videos confronting war and sex trafficking. In Out, teenage lesbians in Korea use ³self-camera² (video diaries) to reflect on their subjective struggles with coming out, rocky relationships and bisexuality.Out is a compilation of engaging stories: In Coming Out: ³I have a boyfriend, how can I be lesbian?,² Chun-jae grapples with the fundamental confusion associated with sexual identity. In Outing:
  
  ³Is this love or friendship?,² high school dropout Cho-i is going steady with a girl for the first time, only to find herself agonizing about her sexuality again when the two break up. In Outsider: ³Mom, actually I¹m lesbian!,² Koma has been outed and bullied by her younger sisters for a long time. But keeping her lesbianism a secret from others is much harder in her day job as a self-identified activist at a Korean lesbian counseling center.
  
  For all three girls, the cameras become a means to voice their issues,
  but also to question Korea¹s family and school institutions, which
  perpetuate discrimination and rampant homophobia. Out¹s pensive visual
  style reflects the frustrating isolation all too common among queer youth worldwide.
  
   
• San Francisco Dyke March / Pride Parade
  
  
  
  Come march with APIQWTC in the Dyke March and SF parade on June 28 & 29. Check back for more details.
  

  June 28 Dyke March
  As our tradition, we will be grouping ourselves at around 6pm on the steps of Mission High School on 18th and Delores Streets in San Francisco. Come and enjoy tens of thousands of other women as we take over the streets of San Francisco baring whatever it is we wish to bare (it is the Dyke March after all)
  
  June 29 Gay Pride Parade
  Info TBA. Check back later, please.
  
  For general info about SF Pride Parade, please visit website at www.sfpride.org
  
  
  We always need volunteer to help out for the march or parade, please contact us at info@apiqwtc.org.
  
  
  

• NCLR Dance Party is Back!!!
  Co-Sponsor by APIQWTC for Lesbians of Color and their allies
  
  Saturday, August 9
  9PM to 1AM
  The Vibe Lounge
  2272 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
  (Between 23rd Street and West Grand Ave)
  
  Cost: $10
  
  A Dance party for women of color and our allies!!!
  
  APIQWTC is mixing it up with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) The Nia Collective, Butterfly Productions, MASA, Trikone, and Mack Misstress to bring you an evening celebrating our colorful communities. Please come and enjoy the music by DJ Olga T & La Niche.
  
   

• OASIS Summer Potluck
  
  11AM - 2PM
  Saturday, August 16
  Sydney and Crystal's House
  Oakland, CA
  
  Hi OASIS gals!
  
  It's time to gather to catch-up with old friends and to meet new ones. We're hosting an "OASIS" summer pot-luck on Sat., August 16h, 11:00-2:00. Please bring your favorite dish to share and your favorite beverage. We'll provide paper goods, sausages, burgers, plenty of water and non-alcoholic beverages. Significant others/friends and kids welcome. RSVP by 8/8/08 so that we can make preparations. Hope you see you all on August 16th!!
  
  Crystal, Sydney, Cameron and Daisy
  
  RSVP with phone: 510-482-1603
  RSVP online:  Evite invitation
  
  Note:  OASIS is for A/PI queer women age 35 and older
  
   

• API Family Pride: Family Presentation Party
  5th Annual Family Presentation Party
   
  Saturday, August 23
  5pm - 9pm
  Hotel Whitcomb
  1231 Market Street,
  San Francisco, CA
  (corner of Market and 8th Street)
  
  Adults & Teens 13+ yr: $45
  Children 5-12 yr  $10
  
  API Family Pride's 5th annual "Family Presentation Party" is a way of acknowledging the difficult process that our families have undergone to overcome homophobia and understand and accept us as we are.  This is a time to commend the private, personal struggles of love and transformation in our individual families with public acknowledgement from us, their children and a grateful community.
  
  This is a sit-down dinner with "Family Honor Roll" to acknowledge the support of our parents and siblings, celebrate our "new" families, and honor those organizations and individuals whose visibility has inspired  courage, respect and acceptance of sexual and gender diversity in our community.  Also, there will be family entertainment involving the children of API LGBT people (some of the kids are old enough now to "perform.")
  
  WHO MAY BE RECOGNIZED-- ANY parent, sibling, relative or friend who loves and accepts their API LGBT child/relative/friend in spite of the shame and isolation imposed by a homophobic society may be recognized. The person(s) may be living or deceased and may be of any race or ethnicity.
  
  For more information or download invite/RSVP form, please goto their website: http://www.apifamilypride.org/events_08.html.  You may also purchase tickets online.
  
   
• Sreening "Colonel Jin Xing: A Unique Destiny"    
   
  Friday, September 5
  6:00 pm
  Chinese Culture Center
  750 Kearny St, 3rd Floor
  San Francisco
  
  Admission: $5 public, $3 member
  
  The Chinese Culture Center is pleased to present “Colonel Jin Xing: A Unique Destiny” 上尉金星 (2001). The film will be played in English.
  
  Co-presenters:  GAPA (Gay Asian Pacific Alliance), APIQWTC (Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community), ON Magazine, QWOCMAP (Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project).

  Shanghai’s principal dancer, 33-year-old Jin Xing, is a big star. She is the first choreographer to have received recognition in over half a century of national communism. But the most amazing thing about Jin Xing is that, up until 1995, this beautiful young woman was a man, a colonel in the People’s Liberation Army. Despite Jin Xing’s transcendence in the dance world, however, she is still up against the Chinese bureaucracy which refuses to give her permission to perform on the stages of the Western world. Read more »

   

   

• APIQWTC Annual Summer BBQ & Sports
  
  Saturday, September 13
  11am - 4pm
  Dimond Park
  Oakland, CA
  (on Fruitvale Ave near MacArthur)
  
  First there was the Gay Games...
  Next came the OUT Games...
  Now here comes the Grand Mammy of them all...
  
  Dykes bike!  Lezzies get busy!  Queers Cheer!  Jocks rock! Bi's vie!  An event full of sports, food, fun, and friends!!!
  
  
  
  THE APIQWTC SUMMER PICNIC 2008!
  
  Summer time is almost over -- let's end it with a bang, or a goal, or a twister competition! Come join the fun that sets up the fun. So, join APIQWTC to say good bye to Summer time by doing what we APILBTs do best -- eating and fooling around!
  
  EAT -- We'll be grillin' up all your summer time favorites, burgers, hot dogs, even grillers for the vegetarians. Come early for the eats 'cause when it gone - it's gone.
  
  FOOL AROUND -- No, not that kind of fooling around. (ok, maybe that kind of fooling around but you're on your own for that.) We mean playing games and having tournaments with medals/prizes/trophies awarded to the winner. No need to be an uber-jock to win these tournaments. Think Pie Eating Contest and Twister... Bring your favorite sports stuff and start your own game! (Frisbee, Volleyball, Football, Twister…)
  
  CHILL -- Plenty of shade provided for those who think "people watching" should be an official Olympic sport.
  
  We had so much FUN every summer, so let’s do it again!
  
  Adults:  $5 - $10 suggested donation
  (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
  
  DIRECTIONS:
  
  If you're going to google/mapquest the park, use 3699 Dimond Ave, Oakland, CA 94602. There is parking along Dimond Ave and along Fruitvale Ave.
  
  Coming from SF: Take the Bay Bridge over to Oakland. Take I-580 E toward Downtown Oakland/Hayward-Stockton. Take exit 23 for Fruitvale Ave. Turn LEFT at Fruitvale Ave. Turn LEFT at MacArthur Blvd. Turn RIGHT at Dimond Ave. Our bbq site is near the end of this dead-end street. If there is no parking on Dimond Ave. head back to MacArthur, turn LEFT on MacArthur, then LEFT on Fruitvale. Try for parking along Fruitvale.
  
  Coming from Hayward: Take I-580 W. Take Coolidge Ave./Fruitvale Ave. Merge onto Montana St. Turn RIGHT at Fruitvale Ave. Turn LEFT at MacArthur Blvd. Turn RIGHT at Dimond Ave. Our bbq site is near the end of this dead-end street. If there is no parking on Dimond Ave. head back to MacArthur, turn LEFT on MacArthur, then LEFT on Fruitvale. Try for parking along Fruitvale.
  
  It's not too late to volunteer. Contact Jen Lee healthyselfnow@gmail.com or CJ cj@apiqwtc.com for more info.
  
  
  
  
   
• Marriage & Your Family:
  Legal Implications of Same-Sex Marriage from Womb to Tomb    
   
  Wednesday, September 10
  6:00-8:00pm
  SF LGBT Community Center,
  1800 Market St. at Octavia Blvd.,
  San Francisco
  
  Join local attorneys Deborah Wald and Deb Kinney for an in-depth
  discussion of the practical and legal implications of same-sex
  marriage for lesbian and gay families. What impact will marriage have on your legal relationships with your children? Are adoptions still necessary? What impact will marriage have on your estate planning? Where and how will your marriage be recognized? How do you fully protect your family?
  
  Dinner will be provided. RSVP to Julia at julia@ourfamily.org or call
  415-981-1960, and please indicate if you need free childcare.
  
   
• Vote NO on Prop 8 - Equality for All

  Election Day - November 4th

  We must get California to vote "No" on Prop 8 in November and it all starts with us.  We can win this campaign!!! There are many ways to help out, please visit website www.noonprop8.com for more information.

   API Queers in Northern and Southern California are ORGANIZING to STOP PROP 8!
  
  Asians make up a significant part of the "swing" vote:

  • Undecided
  • Undeclared
  • Unlikely to Declare

  API queers, however, can call OUR OWN family and friends and urge them to COME OUT AND VOTE "NO" ON Prop. 8! We have a unique contribution to make . . . Please help it happen!!
  
  Questions: Trinity Ordona (415) 626-6441, tordona@yahoo.com
  
  P.S.: Doreena Wong is organizing API queers in LA to do the same thing. Join us in this important joint effort.

   

  

• Oakland Prop 8 Protest 
  
  Saturday, 11/15 10:30am
  Oakland City Hall
  1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland
  
  The overwhelming amount of anger and sadness at our loss on Proposition 8 on November 4 is now turning into action at Equality California.
  
  Many community organizations and individuals are crafting a strategy to overturn this outrageous loss of our rights. Equality California, represented by NCLR, ACLU, Lambda Legal and Munger, Tolles, Olson has filed a suit with the California Supreme Court asking that the election—the result of outrageous lies and questionable tactics by the other side, be thrown out. We know our rights cannot be taken away by a mob vote.
  
  It is very important for all of us to ensure our actions result in a victory in the court—our best chance to reverse the elimination of our rights as soon as possible. So gatherings of everyone who supports justice and equality sends an important message to the court that there IS popular support for marriage equality in California. Join your community, in this case, Oakland, in peaceful marches and gatherings around the state.
  
   
• API Equality Post Election Debrief
  -- Hosted by API Equality
  
  Saturday, November 22nd
  12pm - 2pm
  CAA's Community Room
  17 Walter U Lum Place
  San Francisco, CA 94108
  
  Now that the election is over and the passage of Proposition 8 is sinking in, we want to let you know that we are not giving up the fight for marriage equality!
  
  Despite last week’s loss, we have achieved great strides in the struggle for marriage equality. We have made great inroads in building support in the API Community and have helped to amass a strong coalition of organizations and elected leaders who have stood out with us in the fight for full equality under the law.
  
  It is time for us to regroup, evaluate our successes and challenges, and harness the energy and momentum amongst us to move strategically forward in this struggle.
  
  To that end, we want to invite all members to join us for a API Equality Post Election Debrief.  Please RSVP to Tawal at Tawal@caasf.org.
  
   
• "Three Veils"
  
  Breakthrough lesbian Muslim feature film, "Three Veils", fundraiser & support
  
  "Three Veils" is a film, currently in pre-production, about three young Muslim women living in the U.S, each with her own poignant story. As the film progresses, all three stories unfold and blend into each other as connections are revealed between the three women, one of whom is a devout Muslim, battling with her intimate feelings
  for another women.
  
  Written by Rolla Selbak, the film is under pre-production, and the raised funds will go towards principle shooting, scheduled to start in Spring 2009.
  
  This is a Bay Area fundraiser for the breakthrough Lesbian feature film THREE VEILS.
  
  Wed. Nov. 12th, 8pm - 12am  @ Pink
  2925 16th Street, San Francisco
  
  $20 Door / $15 Guest List
  21+ Event...
  
  Performances start @ 9pm
  
  * Belly Dance Performance - SERPENTINE
  * Congolese women drummers - NLOLO BATUMBA
  * Powerful Lebanese Queer Hip-Hop Duo - NaR
  * Henna Tattoo artist - MAY CELESTINE
  * DJ Countess Von & RollioX spinning world, club and Middle-eastern music
  
  FREE APPETIZERS AND MORE
  
  If your attendance will be missed, we also are humbly accepting donations (as small as $10) through PayPal at www.threeveilsmovie.com -> click on 'Show Love'.
  
  For more info, movie synopsis and updates, go to: www.threeveilsmovie.com
  
  

• FREEDOM 4...
  
  WOMEN OF COLOR AND FRIENDS MARTIAL ARTS BENEFIT
  FOR THE NEW JERSEY 4
  
  featuring live performances of...
  
  CAPOEIRA, TAE KWON DO, KAJUKENBO, AIKIDO, SWORDS AND MORE!
  
  Thursday, Dec 18, 2008
  The Oakland Asian Cultural Center
  388 8th street, Oakland
  
  doors open at 6pm
  show at 6:30-8pm*
  
  Ticket:  Sliding scale $10-20 (children under 12 get in free)
  
  To guarantee a seat & reserve tickets email mamiechow@gmail.com
  
  * This event generously co-sponsored by The Vibe Lounge. When Freedom 4 is done, come with us to Vibe for a very special after-party.
  
  

APIQWTC 2008 scholarship announcement

Please join the APIQWTC scholarship committee in congratulating Ching-In Chen as one of the two recipients of this year’s award. Both individuals distinguished themselves in their community activism and academic achievement among a very competitive pool of applicants.

Ching-In Chen
Poet and community activist Ching-In Chen is currently a MFA student in creative writing at UC Riverside. She has worked as Director of Programs for the Asian American Resource Workshop as well as an Employment Advocate for Chinese for Affirmative Action. She has planned actions, campaigns, fundraisers, and community events for grassroots organizations and campaigns such as the Stop Chinatown Evictions Coalition with Chin Jurn Wor Ping (CJWP) and Freedom Uprising on both the East and West Coasts. Recently, Chen has focused her energy on sustaining queer and trans communities of color: touring with Mangos with Chili, a performance group of queer and trans artists of color; assisting in the formation of Ya Basta! Collective, a grassroots collective committed to building the creative and imaginative capacity of girls and women of color and non-gender conforming people of color through the creation of an anthology focusing on gender, militarism and war; and co-editing a zine on partner abuse with special emphasis on queer and trans activist communities of color. Chen sees writing as a tool to inspire marginalized communities and encourage individuals to “thrive rather than just survive.” Moreover, Chen has over 20 works of prose and poetry in publications such as Iron Horse Literary Review, Hyphen, and Poemeleon. Since 2002 she has additionally been rewarded with close to twenty writing honors with organizations such as the Paden Institute, Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, and the APAture Arts Festival. Look for her forthcoming book, a novel in verse, titled The Heart’s Traffic by Red Hen Press.

Congratulations again to Ching-In Chen. We wish you the very best in your future endeavors !!! :-)

Last updated at November 12, 2008