Asian American / South Asian Parents Who Love their LGBT Kids

Asian Ethnic Television Stations Air Ground-Breaking Public Service Announcements for LGBT Pride Month

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13.9 million viewers in 8 Asian languages and dialects

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is launching a national multilingual campaign to promote acceptance of LGBT individuals in Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

In the first media campaign of its kind, Asian parents break a tradition of silence to voice unconditional love and support for their LGBT children in a series of Public Service Announcements (PSA) scheduled for broadcast on Asian ethnic television stations throughout June for LGBT Pride Month. Airing in 8 Asian languages and dialects, the PSA’s will reach potentially 13.9 million viewers in major Asian markets across the country.

View videos here: www.nqapia.org/wpp/psa-campaign/

An accompanying leaflet entitled, “Family Is Still Family, Love Is Still Love” addresses fundamental questions about sexual orientation and identity. The leaflet dispels common misconceptions and is available in nineteen (19) Asian languages and scripts -- the greatest number of translations of a single LGBT document. NQAPIA collaborated with the Asian Pride Project and parents to produce culturally appropriate materials in response to an absence of role models and resources for Asian communities.

The campaign is particularly timely as the US Supreme Court weighs arguments surrounding marriage equality. According to a 2012 Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund report, only 37% of Asian Americans polled support same-sex marriage while nearly two thirds are opposed or undecided. The strongest opposition comes from those who are older and foreign-born with limited English proficiency -- a common profile of Asian immigrant parents.

“For Asian Americans, even if we win the right to marry, who will come to the wedding? Marriage is much for than just rights but the acceptance of LGBT people in our families. What’s a right without the recognition?” NQAPIA aims to diversify the faces of parents who have LGBT kids and to promote understanding and acceptance.

TV stations airing the PSA to date: KSCI-TV “LA18” (Los Angeles), KTSF (San Francisco Bay Area), Crossings TV (syndicated in New York, Chicago, Sacramento, and Fresno) and AAT-TV (Seattle). Stations in Honolulu, Boston, and DC Metro/ Maryland/ Virginia are pending confirmation.

The videos will be publicly released by NQAPIA throughout June according to the following schedule:

June 2 - Chinese

· Mandarin with English subtitles - Deanna Cheng, a Chinese mother of a gay son.

· Cantonese with English subtitles - Rosetta Lai, a Chinese mother of a lesbian daughter.

June 9 - South Asian

· English with Hindi subtitles - Vinay Chaudhry, an Indian father of a genderqueer child.

· Hindi with English subtitles - Kamlesh and Harcharan Bagga, Indian parents of a gay son.

June 16 - Korean/Japanese

· Korean with English subtitles - Clara Yoon, a Korean mother of a transgender son.

· English with Japanese subtitles - Marsha and Tad Aizumi, Japanese parents of a transgender son.

June 23 - Southeast Asian

· Vietnamese with English subtitles - Ha Nguyen, a Vietnamese mother of a gay son.

· English with Lao subtitles – Phanida Phivilay, a Lao mother of a lesbian daughter.

June 30 - Filipino

· English with Tagalog subtitles - Carol Mannion, a Filipina mother of a gay son.

None of the parents are actors. They are all every day parents from different parts of the country.

The parents featured in the PSAs share the same message: Too often our children are shunned, ostracized and discriminated against in our own community. I am proud of my [son/daughter/child]. I have always been proud of my [son/daughter/child]. It is time to take a stand to support your children, my children, our children. Share your story of love and acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender children. After all, family is still family and love is still love.

Co-director Suma Reddy of Asian Pride Project states, “Our campaign not only empowers immigrant parents, but also LGBT youth struggling to come out to their families. We are raising the visibility of supportive Asian parents and family members so they can act as catalysts for acceptance within their communities.”

About the Sponsoring Organizations

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of LGBT Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. We seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBT AAPI groups, develop leadership, and expand collaborations to better challenge homophobia and racism.

Asian Pride Project (APP) recognizes the value and importance of family alliance for LGBT Asians & Pacific Islander (API) individuals. APP believes in the power of connecting with families and communities to provide the support they need to understand and accept sexual and gender identities in the API cultural context.

This effort was made possible with the generous support of the Arcus Foundation and David Bohnett Foundation.

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