- Will we concede to fear, or will we choose interdependence? January 10, 2021

Dear APIENC Community,
Throughout the past year, I have often come back to the question, “Will we concede to fear and individualism, or will we choose interdependence?”
This past week, as we celebrated historic Senate wins in Georgia and watched in horror ...
- Leo Hegde December 8, 2020

Dec 2020 | LEO HEGDE
Leo (he/him & they/them) has been involved with APIENC for a little over a year. He is a member of the TJ (Trans Justice) Committee as well as one of newest members of the Core Committee.
Leo, ...
- Building a world of safety, dignity, and care is up to us. November 18, 2020

The summer after I realized I was trans, I spent a lot of time online. I wanted to learn about other trans people and be seen in my experiences. The internet helped me do so discreetly, during a time when ...
- Now, we do as we’ve always done. November 9, 2020

The day after the 2016 election, I woke up, logged onto social media, and saw outcries of anger and fear from my friends. On that day, I wrote a commitment to myself, and an invitation to others:
“We are the people ...
- Writings from #QTAPIClimateStories October 11, 2020

On Saturday Sept. 19th 2020, APIENC’s Ecological Justice League (fka TTAC) brought folks together for a fun and creative Writing and Haiku Party! Participants engaged and connected with each other in order to better articulate their connection with and the ...
- Paige Chung September 26, 2020

Sept 2020 | PAIGE CHUNG
Paige (she/they) is a poet and a skater. In their own words, “My last writing project Nail Trap is juicier than your neighborhood gossip and my current project is hotter than your cousin’s mixtape. I’m based ...
- You Matter: Video Reflection on LEX 2020 September 25, 2020

LEX & the APIENC family brought so much… so many things, but what i’m most thankful for is the healing that it brought to me when i felt too overwhelmed to know where to start, & i want to share ...
- The Main Ingredient to Interdependence is Relationship Building August 30, 2020

When we took on the role of coordinating APIENC’s Summer Mutual Aid Project, we were both fairly new to APIENC, just joining as a volunteer and Summer Organizer. Despite our newness, we understood the importance of mutual aid in this ...
- Hello are you there? Reflections from our Dragon Fruit Phone Tree August 26, 2020

It all started with the Dragon Fruit Project (DFP) reunion, scheduled to happen on March 21, 2020. Since last December, a volunteer team had been planning for an in-person event to celebrate all those who had contributed to our intergenerational ...
- We Are Worthy of Support: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 2) August 23, 2020

I haven’t always felt comfortable asking for help. Previously, I thought asking for help meant I was not “good enough,” and I thought that struggling on my own was a reflection of true strength. I learned this mindset from my ...
- Self-Determination & Queer Power: Reflections from the Summer Organizer Program (part 1!) August 20, 2020

To me, APIENC is love — love that the world desperately needs.
As a chronically ill, Việt, queer, nonbinary person, I felt unheard, othered, and silenced for far too long, by nearly everyone in my life in some way. I don’t ...
- Vulnerability is Power: Reflections from LEX 2020 August 16, 2020

There I was, on a zoom call with over 30 people who I had just met the weekend before, having a vulnerable one-on-one conversation with Sammie for everyone to watch.
This was during the third session of APIENC’s annual Leadership Exchange, ...
- #QTAPIClimateStories August 16, 2020

APIENC’s Ecological Justice League (fka TTAC, Think and Take Action Cohort for Climate Justice) Presents:
#QTAPIClimateStories Writing and Haiku Party for Queer and Trans Asian & Pacific Islander People
A Climate Justice Storytelling Project
Register here!👉 bit.ly/QTAPIClimateStories 👈
Co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Environmental Network ...
- Gem Datuin July 27, 2020

Jul 2020 | Gem Datuin
Gem Datuin (they/them) identifies as a queer, non-binary, pilipinx feminist & abolitionist and has been a member of APIENC since 2016. For the past year, they have been part of APIENC’s Leadership Development (aka SKATE Crew) ...
- We Are Trans Asian and Pasifika Leaders in Defense of Black Lives June 11, 2020

We are non-Black people of Asian and Pasifika (A&PI) descent, and we are trans, nonbinary, and many Indigenous cultural gender identities¹. We span many movements, many generations, and many organizations.
We affirm the value of Black lives, unconditionally. We are in ...
- Black Lives Matter. May 28, 2020

We, as trans and queer Asians and Pacific Islanders, believe that everybody has a role in dismantling anti-Blackness.
- Zoe Chen May 24, 2020

May 2020 | Zoe Chen
Zoe marched with us at 2019 Trans March and is now part of APIENC’s Trans Justice Committee! Her pronouns are she/her/hers and identifies as a transgender woman.
When Zoe is not with community at APIENC, she is ...
- I attribute my survival to the healing that comes with community. April 22, 2020

I don’t remember the year; I was 24, maybe 25, when I went to visit a friend in St. Vincent’s Hospital on 7th Ave in New York City. I never found him. The hospital was overrun with AIDS patients and ...
- Now is the time to practice care, connection, and resilience. We got this. March 17, 2020

Dear APIENC community,
When news of COVID-19 started to reach the U.S., APIENC staff and member leaders took time to figure out how we could prioritize connection, safety, and community all at once. We’ve heard concerns and fear from our people—worries ...
- What will our work mean for the seven generations after us? February 13, 2020

The world is on fire. It’s no understatement to say that our people are facing political repression, overwhelming inequality, and climate catastrophe. Corrupt politicians and poisonous systems have robbed us of our ability to live, thrive, and be in abundant ...