Happy Pride!

Happy Pride! June marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, one of the catalysts for the LGBTQ rights movement. June brings a host of events across the world which welcome the LGBTQ community, their families, friends, and allies to celebrate. During Pride Month, we wanted to take a look at 8 notable LGBTQ Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have made a difference in their communities.

 

• Margaret Cho
  • Cho identifies as a bisexual Korean American. The longtime comedienne and actress uses her comedy to discuss issues such as gender, sexual orientation, Asian American stereotypes, and race. She advocated for the legalization of gay marriage in California and continues to speak out on LGBTQ issues.
• Manvendra Singh Gohil
  • Gohil is known for being the first openly gay Indian prince. His charity, The Lakshya Trust, provides education and resources for gay men with the goal of preventing HIV/AIDS. He more recently opened his palace as a place of shelter for LGBTQ youth.
• Kim Coco Iwamoto
  • Iwamoto identifies as Trans and Japanese American. She is an activist and politician who ran for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in 2018. She previously served on Hawaii’s Civil Rights Commission and Board of Education. In 2006, when Iwamoto was elected to the Hawaii’s Board of Education, she became the first openly trans official to serve in a statewide office.
• B.D Wong
  • Wong is prolific actor of Chinese descent who identifies as gay. He is well known for his roles on Law and Order:SVU, Shanghai Moon, Mulan and Jurassic World. The Tony Award winner works to encourage and support LGBTQ youth in the arts.
• Cecilia Chung
  • Chung is a trans Chinese woman known for her activism in the realms of social justice, LGBTQ equality, and health equity. She has fought to increase education around HIV/AIDS and increase access to medical care for the trans community. Her work was featured in the ABC miniseries, When We Rise.
• Hayley Kiyoko
  • Kiyoko is a singer, actress, songwriter, and dancer who identifies as a multiracial white, Japanese lesbian. Her work focuses on inspiring confidence in LGBTQ youth and normalizing lesbian relationships.
• Geena Rocero
  • Identifying as a Filipina trans woman, model and activist Geena Rocero’s 2014 TED Talk has become a worldwide hit. During her talk, Rocero came out as trans and discussed the continued struggles the trans community faces. In the same year, she launched Gender Proud, a campaign to advocate for trans rights around the world.
• Mark Takano
  • Mark Takano, representing California’s 41st District, is the first openly gay person of color in the United States Congress. He has been serving since 2013 and co-chairs the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus.

 

Although this is not an exhaustive list of well-known AAPI members of the LGBTQ community, it provides a snapshot of the incredible work and advocacy taking place. We hope you’ll get out there and celebrate this Pride Month!