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Mission Statement

Welcome to our virtual awareness-raising project! We are a group of students enrolled in De Anza College's ASAM 10 class, and we have been spending the last six weeks researching the intersections of queer identity and being AA/PI/SWANA. 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Instagram Post in Beige Light Pink Bold

What Is Queerness?

Queerness is more than just what kind of sexualized bodies you are attracted to. Queerness is inherently about escaping definition and existing in a constant struggle for existing authentically within the crushing conditions of racial capitalism, and it's insistence on heteronormativity. 

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ADQLAPA uses the designation "queer" to understand sexual and gender identity as often fluid and complex while recognizing the term's histories of derogatory usage and lasting pain for some LGBTQIA folx. 

 

In theoretical terms, queer pedagogy offers a teaching framework that encourages people to go beyond socially constructed binaries. Queer pedagogy also challenges how different components of society interact with gender and identity to influence systems, people, and their interactions. In queer pedagogy, the emphasis is on the development of critical thinking skills that will serve students throughout their life. 

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With this in mind, queer pedagogy also aims to dismantle heteronormative frameworks in society that are perpetuated through our curricula

Why Is There A Need For More Literacy Around AA/PI Issues?

Raising Awareness for AA/PI Queer Youth is essentia for our collective

liberation because there are currently numerous anti-LGBTQ+ laws that have been passed that are affecting over 11.3 million LGBT adults living in the U.S right now.

 

And within that About 40% of LGBT adults are people of color

 

An estimated 685,000 U.S. adults self-identify as AAPI and LGBT.

 

Among all AAPI adults, 4.5% identify as LGBT, including 3.8% of AA adults and 8.8% of NHPI adults. 

 

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of AAPI LGBT adults are under the age of 35

 

The majority (59%) of all AAPI LGBT people 25 and older have a college education.

 

Less than half (41%) of AAPI transgender adults reported feeling connected to the AAPI community. 

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According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are 

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  • Over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures, a record;

  • Over 220 bills specifically target transgender and non-binary people, also a record; and

  • A record 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted so far this year, including:

    • Laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth: 15

    • Laws requiring or allowing misgendering of transgender students: 7

    • Laws targeting drag performances: 2

    • Laws creating a license to discriminate: 3

    • Laws censoring school curriculum, including books: 4

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