Danny Taing, Social Chair 2014 – 2015
I moved to NYC in 2013 after having lived in Asia for 4 years. During the first few months, I experienced some reverse culture shock as I had forgotten how stressful it was to feel marginalized and encounter racism on a daily basis. Also, despite the high number of queer Asians in NYC, there seemed to be a dearth of queer Asian events. I wanted to try and do something about these issues but felt lost as to how I would even begin effecting change in a city so vast. Luckily, I happened to meet the Co-Chair at the time, Dennis Chin, who listened to my concerns and recommended that I check out GAPIMNY.
After attending a General Meeting and getting to know other GAPIMNY members, I decided to join SC because I learned that GAPIMNY is a supportive, collaborative organization that encourages and empowers members to give back to the community through whichever method they believe works best (whether it be social, political, cultural, etc.). Building on the support and leadership training from experienced SC members, I was able to accomplish my original goal of creating more safe spaces for queer Asians in NYC by launching events such as Elixir Happy Hour. I truly believe that being a part of GAPIMNY SC empowers individuals to create positive change in the queer Asian community and beyond.