Support, respect, and affirm LGBTQ+ APIs

Summer has begun and the end of June is near. With it, Pride Month is winding down and Loving Day and Juneteenth have passed, ready to be highlighted again next year. 

While a focus on LGBTQ+ Pride or last month’s Asian and Pacific Islander (API) heritage month should not be limited to one month a year, both serve as a good reminder of the history and contributions of these diverse communities, it ensures that knowledge and facts about these communities can be shared with a broader population, and Pride Month is an opportunity to showcase the beautiful, glorious, complicated nuances of our Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) LGBTQ+ communities. 

I know this post is coming late in a month commemorating and highlighting LGBTQ+ Pride, however, it’s not over yet. More importantly, why shouldn’t we celebrate and have pride in being API, LGBTQ+, and any other intersectional identities all the time, anytime, all year? 

“Coming out is a personal choice, and the lifelong coming out experience is different for everybody. For those of us who identify as LGBTQ and as people of color, it can often feel like we are living at the cusp of an intersection that is challenging to manage. For many Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, coming out is a lifelong process that can require a different approach because of cultural norms or traditions that emphasize duty to family and community. This can make the coming out process more complex to navigate.

This quote from the opening section of, “Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans” encapsulates the challenge faced by LGBTQ+ APIs. It’s why this resource, produced by the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and the HRC Foundation is designed to aid LGBTQ API Americans in navigating the intersectional challenges when coming out.

In case you’re wondering: according to a 2021 report on AAPI LGBT adults in the US by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, 3.8% of AA adults and 8.8% of NHPI adults self identify as LGBTQ+.

If you’re interested in hearing from two parents recounting their story of being called out by their transgender child and sharing how that experience transformed their relationship as a family and their perspectives as leaders at work, check out this June 28, 2021 episode of the LEAP Podcast.

Also, language and terms continue to change rapidly. This GLAAD Media Reference Guide with its Glossary of Terms can be very helpful to any of us who want to learn, understand, and ensure that we are thoughtful and respectful of our LGBTQ+ friends, family and colleagues.

Lastly, as a straight, cisgender woman, I can’t speak from personal experience however, I can share resources like the ones above and be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. I hope you’ll join me and others in supporting, respecting, and affirming LGBTQ+ Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders because we all deserve love, respect and belonging.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Akutagawa (she/hers) is President and CEO of LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics), an organization she has led for the last 10 years. She is committed to developing Asian and Pacific Islanders leaders, and from the classroom to the boardroom, she actively advocates for inclusive pathways for diverse leaders.