API Equality-LA COVID-19 Statement

Thursday, March 18, 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak is on API Equality-LA’s mind - and has prompted us to reevaluate how we want to keep serving our queer and trans API community in the next few months and beyond.

API Equality-LA has decided to cancel all in-person events until May 18. 

API Equality-LA cares about the health of our greater Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Islander LGBTQ community. While we cherish bringing together different members of our community to meet face-to-face, attending in-person events increases the risk of contracting COVID-19 Coronavirus. Folks who have chronic illnesses, are over 60, and are immuno-compromised are at an even greater risk of contracting the virus. 

Gather with us online!

API Equality-LA will be holding virtual events so that people can connect and support each other during this time. Our work around mental health through our Transforming Community Care campaign has taught us that crises like these impact folks with anxiety and depression in serious ways. We hope to foster an intentional and inclusive environment to help our community members feel safe, secure, and supported.

API Equality-LA’s shift to virtual meetings is part of a conscious effort for us to make adjustments to our accessibility measures, taking special consideration for chronically ill and disabled folks. Disability justice leaders have pointed to this issue for years. We know that we have fallen short in making adjustments to our accessibility and are working to respond with accountability in organizing and movement spaces.

Resist racism and xenophobia

For API and LGTBQ folks, API Equality-LA recognizes the racist attacks and discriminatory behavior taking place in airports and in daily life in light of the Coronavirus. These xenophobic and racist sentiments mirror past misconceptions of Chinese people being seen as vectors of disease. As a pan-ethnic Asian and Pacific Islander organization, we are showing up, reaching our hands out to our community members, keeping each other safe, and voicing our concerns that it is not okay to blame a whole group of people for a pandemic.

As of today, the Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council (A3PCON) and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) have launched an incident reporting form to document discrimination or violence taking place as a result of the Coronavirus. If you or someone you know has experienced a racist incident, you can report it here: a3pcon.org/stopaapihate

Mutual aid as community care

API Equality-LA is calling on folks to support people in their lives and communities who are at risk and are in need of financial and emotional support. We are asking you to practice courage and vulnerability in offering help based on your capacity and asking for help based on your needs. Filling out tools like the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective’s (BEAM) Community Care Support Plan worksheet for yourself or someone else can be a good starting point. By checking in with ourselves and our community, we can strengthen the interdependent networks of care that make it possible for all of us to thrive.

We are calling on you to not only support person-to-person needs but also to support other organizing efforts taking place amidst these troubled times. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing collective actions we can take to demand a more livable and just world.

We have the following virtual events open for you to attend and connect during this time:

We are also working to compile resources on our website, which you can find here: apiequalityla.org/covid19-resources

We know that this current global pandemic is far from over, and we are here with you. We are holding you in our hearts with tenderness and care as we figure things out together.

In community,

API Equality-LA Steering Committee and Staff