Good Asian Drivers

There are just 2 days between now and the soon to be earth-shattering march that will take place in Washington DC known as the National March for Equality. This coming weekend, thousands will gather for a program of events ranging from workshops offering critical activist strategies to family events, and even the President himself appearing to address our community (yes I know, but the HRC is still part of our community.)

I am honored this year to be speaking at the rally as part of a lineup of diverse community members and allies, people who I deeply admire and have given the queer community so much of their lives in an effort to improve the world. People, who in the face of discrimination and hardship, still move.

As part of the weekend of events, there will be an APIA reception co-sponsored by NQAPIA, AQUA, APIQS, KhushDC, and NAPAWF-DC. The Asian Pacific Islander Welcoming Event and Summit will be held at Cafe Asian (1710 I St NW) on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 12-2pm.

And the rally will include speeches by Mario Nguyen an Equality Idol Finalist, Lieutenant Dan Choi the discharged soldier who chose to live honestly, Urvashi Vaid longtime activist and queer organization executive, Kim Coco Iwamoto who in 2006 became our country’s “highest ranking transgender elected official,” Stacey Ann Chin outspoken activist writer/poet/performer, and myself, a trans spoken word artist and Good Asian Driver.

But let me share with you the reason for my blog this evening: our presence. We as queer Asians continue to battle stereotypes of silent minorities and while the validity of that lifestyle is one I will not argue with, there is a community of vibrant, tireless activists and community members that will be out this weekend with every intention of screaming, cheering, and applauding at the top of their lungs. Every one of us carrying the stories of those back home who couldn’t attend, years of community organizing, and the families we’ve created from a shared struggle of being in a country where we still continue to fight for basic human rights.

Brothers and Sisters, your face in the crowd, your fist in the air, your footsteps across Washington will be heard and we will not be silent and forgotten browns and yellows for background.

I’m excited to rally with you, make noise, be heard, and fight for another day of freedom. So facebook album the weekend, tweet about the reception, and blog that you were a part of history. Please send pictures and captions to goodasiandrivers@gmail.com to be included in the post march blog.