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August 19, 2009
Special Edition :: PrYSM Goes to Seattle
This past week, PrYSM made its way out to Seattle, Washington. There, we attended the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) conference. We connected to old friends, made new friends, and had an amazing time. We organized an LGBTQ Southeast Asian Caucus, presented a survey, ran a panel discussion, and facilitated even more discussions. What is most inspiring to us is that we have built deep relationships with three organizations. 
Lizzay, Danny, and Davide: starting the ice-breaker at the QSEA Caucus
First, Let me thank the PrYSM members who helped make this a possibility. Thank you Pitu, Danny, Lizzay, Davide, Chantajone, Darin, Nhut, Rammar, and Sarath.
While we were in Seattle, we were humbled and moved by members of Khmer In Action (KIA). Khmer In Action is an attractive and incredibly inspiring and compassionate group of young men and women, and their leaders are both queer and straight, and most of them are Khmer. Their Vision is to build "a strong and loving community of Khmer people working together to create equality for socio-political justice." Here's a picture of Many Uch, one of their core leaders.
Many Uch, Khmer In Action
We met Many back in 2005, as he toured the United States, with the release of Sentenced Home, which documents the struggles of three Cambodian men on deportation-row. Since touring the country and connecting with thousands of young people like us, Many and his friends and community members of Seattle, have started Khmer In Action.
Many is the first Cambodian American to take his case up to the Governor to seek a Governor's pardon. On June 11 of this year, the state Clemency and Pardons Board decided to make a recommendation for granting him relief from deportation. The governor should make her decision in the next few months. So stay tuned! If she does, Many and KIA will be making a huge splash in the movement against deportations, trailblazing a way and expanding possibilities for our struggle.
Khmer In Action folks took us to a BBQ, a trip to the beach, and they gave us a personal tour of the Cambodian Deportation exhibit at the Wing Luke Asian American Museum. The first thing you see when you walk into the exhibit is the Deported Diaspora T-shirt suspended in the air above us. In a glass display table, there are photographs of PrYSM, and they have interviews, narratives, and information about our deportation cases in their resource center.
Sinatt and Theary, our deportation cases are documented there!
Thank you Many, Ammara, Khanie, Grace, Roldy, and everyone else who drove us places, fed us, and showed us a good time.
We FINALLY got to meet with Shades of Yellow (SOY) from Minnesota. Shades of Yellow (SOY) is the first Hmong Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) organization that support Hmong GLBT individuals, non-Hmong GLBT individuals, families, friends, and allies. Their mission is to provide support, education, cultural awareness, social gatherings, and advocacy to Hmong GLBT, SOY members, families, allies and the Hmong community in the Twin Cities. We met up with Pheng, Kevin, Ulises, Yer, Thai, Linda, Beng, and Oscar. They all asked for Mimi and Peach, who went to see them last spring at their annual drag show. They are also organized, inspiring, talented, and yeah, sexy too. 
True (FI), Kohei & Rammar (PrYSM), Kevin and Thai (SOY)
We got to reconnect with Freedom Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin. We last saw them at the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, and we worked with them previously through the Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN). Freedom, Inc.'s mission is to inspire and educate individuals through leadership development and community organizing that will bring about social, political, cultural, and economic change to low-income communities.
Here's the story of how they started! "In 2000, a group of young Southeast Asian girls came together to talk about violence in their homes. It was soon realized that they could no do this without talking about poverty, racial profiling, immigration, and other forms of violence against their community. This group eventually grew into an action team consisting of young Southeast Asian youths organizing aroud these very issues. With a little experience, some help, and momentum, this group evolved into what is now known as Freedom, Inc."
Lastly, we had a unique opportunity to meet Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado who are using their own situation to build a movement for marriage equality. As you can see in the group photo with PrYSM, they have two sons, and their family has been on the brink of dismemberment by ICE, since ICE wont recognize same-sex couples. They have testified before congress to support the passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).
PrYSM with Jay and Shirley @ Seattle.
Out of our work in Seattle, we will have a lot to share with you. We will soon be releasing the 2009 Queer Southeast Asian Census, the first statiscal portrait of our national Southeast Asian LGBTQ community.
Thanks to Astraea, Gill, and the RI Foundation! for sponsoring this initiative!
Thanks to Glenn, Ben, Mala, and Vega from NQAPIA for trail-blazing the way, and making lots of room for Southeast Asians to join the movement.
All of Us, Together
Our POWERFUL QSEA Women
Shades of Yellow! SOY. Seattle, WA, 2009
