LA Pride Festival and Parade are almost upon us! It’s your chance to help build the API LGBT movement while having an amazing time meeting other activists and making new friends!

API Equality-LA is inviting you to join us at the LA Pride Festival to ensure that LGBT people are included in immigration reform. We will be recruiting new volunteers and supporters to put pressure on Senator Feinstein to champion LGBT rights. API Equality- LA will provide ALL festival volunteers with a training, a FREE t-shirt, and FREE admission to the festival!

Come enjoy the festival for free while advancing equality for our communities!

When: Saturday, June 8, 2013, Noon – 11:30 PM AND Sunday, June 9, 2013, 11 AM – 10:30 PM

Where: West Hollywood Park

March with API Equality-LA at LA PRIDE PARADE! 

March with API Equality-LA along with other members of the Asian Pacific Islander Pride Council (APIPC) in the LA Pride Parade on Sunday, June 9, 2013. This is the opportunity for us to increase visibility for LGBT people in immigration reform.

We will be meeting at 9 AM for a FREE hearty breakfast near the start of the parade before heading off to celebrate LA Pride, parade-style! This is your chance to be PART of the parade while making an impact for LGBT people in comprehensive immigration reform.

When: 9 AM on Sunday, June 9, 2013

Where: Corner of N Ogden Dr. and Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Please RSVP for exact location.

>>>>>TO RSVP OR FOR QUESTIONS<<<<<
Tran Le | tran@apiequalityla.org | (213) 580-1800

A few weeks ago, the Senate introduced the base proposal for 2013’s long-awaited comprehensive immigration reform legislation.  The package does not include the United American Families Act or proposals that enable an LGBT U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident to  petition their same-sex partner as an immediate relative.

The LGBT community is reminded once again today that U.S. citizenship means less for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people than for everyone else.  Just as citizenship for LGBT people comes without Federal marriage rights, it also comes without the equal family immigration rights.

“We are extremely disappointed that LGBT people are once again being treated unequally under the law.  As an Asian community that values family, we believe all families to should be encouraged to stay together.  And immigration policies should treat couples fairly.” API Equality-LA calls on Senator Feinstein and the other members of the Senate Judiciary committee to correct the oversight in the current proposed legislation by including language to support family unity for LGBT families.

 We must ACT now! Speak OUT! 

Join API Equality-LA and the MayDay queer contingent for QUEER CALL OUT DAY phonebank! We will be calling supporters to ask for more people to contact Senator Feinstein. Let’s make sure LGBT and Asian and Pacific Islander  issues are addressed in any immigration reform and workers’ rights agenda!

WHEN:
Thursday, May 16, 2013 [Every Thursday]
6:15-9:30 PM

WHERE:
API Equality-LA
1137 WIlshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017

QUESTIONS/RSVP:
Tran Le | 213-580-1800 | tran@apiequalityla.org

SERVICE PROJECT WITH KARDIA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/490530634316036/

 Come explore and learn about transgender issues from an Asian and Pacific Islander perspective.  Hosted by API Equality-LA We’ll provide a safe space for attendees to explore gender and gender identity and cover foundational knowledge, such as vocabulary and gender concepts, to the intersection of API and trans history and contemporary trans issues. We’d love for you to join us in learning about an integral part of the API LGBT community!

RSVP IS REQUIRED. To RSVP, please contact Tran Le at Tran@apiequalityla.org or call (818) 292-6922.

Time:
Saturday, April 20, 2013
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Location:
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, 1145 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
(Free rooftop parking is available)

Posting Date: March 1, 2013

Title: Community Organizer

Location: 1137 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017

Salary: $30,000 – $35,000

Reports to: Executive Director, Co-Chairs, Steering Committee

Term: Full-time until June 30, 2013 (possibly extended if budget allows)

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION
API Equality-LA is a grassroots coalition committed to working in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in Los Angeles for equal rights, including marriage equality, and fair treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) families through community education and advocacy. API Equality-LA is fiscally sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and is funded through various private resources.

JOB SUMMARY
The Community Organizer will help implement the organizational work plan, carry out various administrative and programmatic coalition functions with emphasis in the areas of public education, outreach and recruitment, leadership development, membership development, grassroots fundraising support, and communications. The Community Organizer will work closely with the staff, Steering Committee and Co-Chairs in conducting these responsibilities and will supervise interns or other volunteers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Organize grassroots base through outreach, recruitment and other committee activities, increase membership involvement, recruit new activists and leaders.
• Assist in implementing grant-funded programs, committee events, including trainings, volunteer orientations, workshops, press conferences and forums, and fundraising activities
• Support day to day operations, including managing correspondence, maintaining records and data, providing administrative support
• Represent organization at coalition-related and community, including local, regional or national meetings and conference calls
• Solicit and strengthen collaborative relations with coalition partners and/or other community groups
• Participate in strategic planning activities of the organization
• Other responsibilities as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• College Degree and/or minimum 1 year community organizing, advocacy, or relevant work experience
• Knowledge, contacts, and experience working with the Asian and Pacific Islander communities and/or the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Los Angeles
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with others, including coalition partners, and with diverse communities and organizations
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and interest in advocacy and community organizing
• Strong organizational, verbal and written communications skills, including public speaking skills
• Ability to work independently, and multi-task and operate efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Proficient in use computer, internet and social networking programs

PREFERABLE REQUIREMENTS

• Experienced in campaign work or other outreach and mobilization work
• Bilingual in an Asian language
• Communications experience (i.e. press kit development, media advisory writing, website development and/or maintenance skills)

SUBMIT RESUMES TO: Eileen Ma VIA EMAIL ONLY:eileen@apiequalityla.org

Click here for the .pdf announcement.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: Friday, March 8, 2013, Noon.

Saturday, February 16, 2013, from 5:00 p.m.
Empress Pavilion
988 N. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

API Equality-LA rings in the Year of the Snake at our Annual Lunar New Year Banquet, to be held on Saturday, February 16, 2013.  Once again, members of API Equality-LA and our friends and allies will parade through the streets of Los Angeles’ Chinatown in the 114th Annual Golden Dragon Parade.  Following the parade, we will cap off the day’s festivities with a bountiful ten-course banquet and celebration.

This year, the banquet will be held at the time-honored Empress Pavilion, located at 988 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.  The banquet begins at 5:00 p.m. (though the time is subject to change based on when API Equality-LA reaches the end of the parade route).

This year’s menu includes:

• Empress Pavilion Seafood Soup
• Baked Pepper Salt Shrimp
• Mapo Tofu
• Dungeness Crab with Ginger and Green Onion
• Soy Sauce Chicken
• Panfried Beef with Macadamia Nuts
• Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce
• Filet of Cod with Honey Mustard Sauce
• Yeung Chow Fried Rice
• Almond Jello

The cost to attend is just $30.00 per person. A special discounted rate of $20.00 is available for students, seniors, and limited-income guests.

ALL R.S.V.P.’S MUST BE PREPAID TO GUARANTEE YOUR SEAT — NO EXCEPTIONS. Walk-ins will only be accepted in the unlikely event space is still available. Payments must be received no later than 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 15, 2013.

Vegetarian option available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Brian Nguyen at (213) 580-1800.

Don’t get left out – buy your seat now to guarantee your place at the banquet!

Purchase your tickets here!

Please note: When purchasing tickets, users who select the “Print-at-Home” delivery method will be required to bring the printed tickets for each guest, and users who select the “Mobile Delivery” method must be able to display the tickets on their phone at the door, to ensure admittance to the banquet. Please answer all questions when prompted during check out.

To reach us on the day of the banquet, please call Alex H. Fukui at (310) 291-4849 or Brian Nguyen at (714) 657-6822.  For more information on participating with API Equality-LA in the Golden Dragon Parade prior to the banquet, please click here.

Refund policy.  Because API Equality-LA must guarantee and pay the restaurant for reserved banquet tables based on the number of paid r.s.v.p.’s received, we can only issue refunds if your cancellation is received by 6:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27, 2012, and we are able to sell your seat(s) to another guest.  Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

You are invited to march with API Equality-LA in the 114th Annual Golden Dragon Parade to celebrate the Lunar New Year!  Join us as we welcome the Year of the Snake and provide an LGBT presence at Chinatown’s largest celebration!  As the only LGBT contingent in the Golden Dragon Parade, we will march together to show that our movement for equality and the fair treatment for LGBT individuals is stronger than ever!

When
Assemble at 12:00 PM on Saturday, February 16, 2013.  During the pre-parade assembly, we will provide limited quantities of sandwiches and bottled water, give instructions, and distribute shirts and parade materials, so please come early!  The parade steps off at 1:00 PM.

Where
Courtyard of the Hall of Records, located at 320 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA.  The courtyard is located on Hill St., just south of Temple St.

If you arrive after 12:45 PM, proceed directly to the staging area on Hill St. between Temple St. and Cesar E. Chavez Bl. and ask for the API Equality-LA unit or look for our red t-shirts. 

Transportation
Public parking is available for a fee at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, located at 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 90012.  Other commercial parking lots are also available near City Hall and Olvera Street.

Our meeting location is also easily accessible using the Metro Red Line.  Exit at the Civic Center station and walk a half block up Hill St. to the courtyard behind the Los Angeles County Hall of Records.

Costumes/Shirts/Signs
We ask that you wear API Equality-LA shirts for the entire duration of the parade for a uniform look and presentation of our unit.  If you do not already have one, you may get one for a suggested donation of $5 at the parade meeting location.  If you are coming with an organization or group, you are encouraged to bring your organizational banner and carry it during the parade.

Parade Rules
To preserve the celebratory nature of the parade, all units are subject to the parade rules set by the event organizers.  We ask that you observe these rules at all times for the safety and well-being of all parade-goers.  Please refrain from throwing or handing out any objects or literature to people along the parade route, carrying signs or wearing any clothing with a political message, engaging in any conduct that endangers the safety of parade-goers or casts a negative light on API Equality-LA or the event organizers.  By marching with API Equality-LA, participants agree to observe the parade rules as requested by the event organizers and API Equality-LA’s parade committee.

Post-Parade Annual Lunar New Year Banquet
After the parade, you are also invited to join us at API Equality-LA’s annual post-parade Lunar New Year Banquet, which will be held at 5:00 PM at Empress Pavilion, 988 N Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 and feature a traditional ten-course Chinese banquet.  

Cost is $30/person regular and $20 for students/seniors/low income.  You must prepay for your seats to guarantee your space.  To purchase tickets or for more information, please click here.

Contact
To RSVP or for general questions, please contact Brian Nguyen at (213) 580-1800 or email brian@apiequalityla.org.

PARADE GATHERING PLACE:
This is NOT a protest. This is a peaceful participation in a community event.
Sun Feb 10
8:30am
9200 Bolsa Ave (Phuoc Loc Tho / Asian Garden Mall)
www.vietlgbt.org

Please look for balloons, yellow t-shirts for human rights, and signs.
They will participate in the parade holding signs on the sideline for the duration of the parade.

If you can, please make your own signs. There are suggested messages in this pdf file that you can download at
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/69382190/SIGNS-3.pdf — a revised version with correct Vietnamese spellings.

Please print out any of the following signs to bring to the parade. For every sign of political message, please have a signs wishing people happy new year.

To make these signs:
1) Print out two desired signs, each in a hard paper like a photo paper.
2) Staple them on either side of a flat paint stir-up stick that you can get free from Home Depot.
3) Voila. Light and easy to carry.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/69382190/SIGNS-3.pdf

API Equality-LA denounces exclusionary practices by our leading cultural institutions, which can lead to increased prejudice and inequality. Parades and cultural gatherings, especially on the important holidays of our communities, are important to all of us. LGBT people value celebrations of our heritage and our community pride like everybody else. API Equality-LA urges the Tet parade organizers to include the Viet LGBT contingent so that all Vietnamese community members can enjoy a respectful and unifying celebration of Tet next week.

We also ask for a retraction of remarks made by James Truong, Secretary of the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California, on their Change.org petition, which seek to demonize the LGBT community. “Blaming one segment of the community for economic and cultural losses is unfounded and untrue,” said Eileen Ma, Executive Director of API Equality-LA. “This is bigotry, plain and simple—and has no place in an important dialogue about cultural understanding.”

API Equality-LA has participated in community parades in the past, and our goal has always been to support and promote our community. For 7 years now, we have marched peacefully and in harmony with other community cultural events. Like all other parade-marchers are goal is to demonstrate our pride in our heritage and our culture, and we are confident parade-watchers are uplifted by the diversity we represent.

They invite everyone to their four public events: Press Conference (Feb 2), UVSA Tet Festival Booth (Feb 8-10), pending participation in the Little Saigon Tet Parade (Feb 10), and Viet LGBT History Campaign.  They march, educate, and continue to serve the Vietnamese American community through their  commitment to equality and compassion for all. The 2013 Viet LGBT Tet Celebrations will proceed as follows:

Saturday
Feb 2, Public Press Conference (3:30-4:30pm):

The public Press Conference will inform the public about the Viet LGBT Tet events at the UVSA Tet Festival, Tet Parade, and Viet LGBT History Campaign.  They invite participants to dialogue with the Partnership of Viet LGBT Organizations about their Tet events and any other questions about their community efforts. The Gay and Lesbian Center of Orange County, 1605 N. Spurgeon Street, 
Santa Ana, CA 92701.

Friday
Feb 8 through Sunday Feb 10, Festival Booth:

Their Second Annual Tet Festival booth will feature bilingual informational pamphlets on Vietnamese homosexuality, LGBT issues, and coming out support groups. Their bilingual volunteers will facilitate games, prizes, and answer community questions. They will feature buttons, signs, and information from their Viet LGBT History Campaign. Volunteers from the Partnership of Viet LGBT Organizations will host the booth all three days from open to close at booth #SW 38. Join them for games, informational flyers, and conversation! http://www.tetfestival.org/

Sunday
Feb 10, Tentative Parade Gathering:

Viet LGBT participation is currently under negotiation between their organizers and the Organizing Board of the Tet Parade. The Partnership of Viet LGBT Organizations aims to participate in the parade for their fourth consecutive year.  Details to follow at the Press Conference on February 2nd and online at www.vietlgbt.org.

Ongoing
Viet LGBT History Campaign:

The Viet LGBT History Campaign aims to bring visibility to the contributions of LGBTs in Vietnamese and Vietnamese American history. Posters, signs, and online resources will include photographs and images of such figures who are publicly homosexual, transgender, or bisexual and Vietnamese, and who have significantly contributed to Vietnamese history, culture, and community politics. Some figures include gay poet Xuan Dieu, transgender singer Cindy Thai Tai, and cross-dressing spiritual leaders called ‘dong co’ of the Mau religion indigenous to Vietnam. Everyday Vietnamese American LGBT indivudals also contribute to the well-being and strength of the Vietnamese American community through their work in social service nonprofits, mental health care, higher education, medical care, and government services.

About the Vietnamese LGBT groups:

Song That Radio in San Jose is a Vietnamese American nonprofit (501c3), working to increase LGBT visibility and inclusivity in the community. Song That hosts a weekly Vietnamese-language radio program on LGBT issues. Song That also organizes social and political events that aim to advocate for, support, and empower the Vietnamese American LGBT community. www.songthat.com.

O-moi is a support group for lesbian, female bisexual, and transgender people of Vietnamese-descent. Its goal is to provide a support and resource space for queer, female Vietnamese to come out and network. It also endeavors to advocate the rights and visibility of its members. O-Moi is based in Southern California.

Gay Vietnamese Alliance has a mission of providing a safe and supportive environment for Vietnamese-identified gay, bisexual, transgender men from all over the world to network, voice issues, promote wellness, and foster leadership. www.gvalliance.blogspot.com

Song That Orange County is a Vietnamese-language support group for LGBTs. Vietnamese Rainbow of Orange County is a discussion and support group for Vietnamese American LGBTs.

Vietnamese Rainbow of Orange County (VROC) is a bilingual support and social group for Vietnamese LGBTs.