James Kim
ASA 2
Section A02
So far, I've attended one APIQ meeting this quarter to get a better feel for how APIQ works before actually planning anything and I have to say that it's been both educational and a lot of fun. For those of yall who don't know, APIQ stands for Asian Pacific Island Queers and the club essentially provides a safe space for those identified as API, Queer, or both to seek guidance from those who also share similar identities. The club encourages its members to re-educate and empower themselves in order to accept and embrace who they are. The meeting I went to was "APIQ Jeopardy" where we answered questions related to APIQ history, sex, UC Davis, APIQ core members, and other miscellaneous categories. I found that there were a great deal of things that I didn't know about the community despite the fact that I identify as APIQ myself; I wasn't aware that Mark Tanako was the first APIQ-identified congressman and that the Stonewall riots of 1969 provided the impetus for modern day activism and social justice in the LGBT community.
Something I noticed about the meeting was that it was rather complex yet very simple in that the topics covered were heavy and serious, yet the atmosphere was so joyful and light-hearted. I realized then that, even though as queer activists we're expected to raise a fist to society all the time and go "Ra Ra Ra!" until we achieve social justice, we're ultimately human beings and shouldn't have to feel angry all the time because, quite frankly, who has the energy for that? This negativity reinforces the perpetuation of animosity and hate and our goals is that we honestly just want to love and be loved. We like to have fun too, and the most shocking part is that society has dehumanized my way of thinking to the point where I feel like I can't feel comfortable and have fun anymore because there is so much discrimination that has yet to be addressed. APIQ is here to celebrate queerness and exists so that we have the space to do so.
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