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Last week we were lucky enough to have Yvette Perreault from ABRPO do the Survive and Thrive workshop with us -helping ACAS staff to navigate loss, change and bereavement.

Dear ACAS members, supporters, and allies,   Like many in the community, Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) has been shaken by the ongoing developments in the disappearances and deaths of Selim Esen, Abdulbasir Faizi, Majeed Kayhan, Andrew Kinsman, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Tess Richey, and Alloura Wells. To their friends and families, we extend our deepest condolences.   Amidst the grief and uncertainty, we recognize that the need for a sense of community is stronger than ever. Please reach out to talk or if you would like further support. At ACAS, we offer support services for members of the East and Southeast Asian community. This February, ACAS staff met with Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, Mayor John Tory, and other LGBTQ+ community leaders for a frank discussion on how the Toronto Police interacts with our diverse communities. At the program level we are further exploring options for service users to strategize around concerns of personal and community safety. If you have suggestions on what ACAS can do to meet the needs of the East and Southeast Asian population in light of this tragedy, please do not hesitate to contact our Executive Director or the Board co-chairs.   With each act of violence in our community we remember the many people whose deaths and disappearances remain unsolved. One of these people is Cassandra Do, an ACAS community member who was found murdered inside her downtown Toronto home almost 15 years ago. Cassandra was a racialised trans woman and a sex worker.   While every tragedy presents its own set of facts, we believe that systemic barriers are directly connected to the persistent acts of violence committed against people from marginalised groups. ACAS remains committed to challenging the barriers found at the intersections of race, class, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, [...]

Are those models running for ACAS in the upcoming Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct 22, 2017? No it's our very own Gabe and his sibling Noel supporting the cause and helping raise funds for ACAS and our QAY program. Learn more about why they are running and you can contribute to their fundraising efforts here. To get involved contact Mike at gaap@acas.org or call 416-963-4300

  Featuring the fearless Thuya as one of our runners in the upcoming Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct 22, 2017, join in on the run or help support Thuya's fundraising https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3899622 To get involved contact Mike at gaap@acas.org or call 416-963-4300

We're featuring Jess as one of our runners in the upcoming Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct 22, 2017! Jess shares some reasons why she's running for ACAS! You can contribute to Jess's fundraising at https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3867814 To get involved contact Mike at gaap@acas.org or call 416-963-4300

We are proud to announce that our new Transgender Resource for Asian Youth, Parents and Families is now available! AND in several languages (Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and English!) Aimed at helping families and youth have better dialogue and understanding about Transgender identities. Come pick up one today!

Check out the recently released PSA Video! It gets steamy so maybe NSFW! Find out more about the Shimmer Project here! https://youtu.be/52FF2ccDCmw

Last week ACAS received a generous donation from Community One Foundation Rainbow Grants. We also presented our projects for Asian Trans Women and Queer Asian Youth in a panel discussion to inform the community about the important work we do. A BIG THANK YOU to Community One Foundation for being one of our longstanding partners in providing support to the East and Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ community in Toronto! Photo credit: Community One Foundation

Here it is! The official list of ACAS Pride Events! See the additional links for more information on each event! There's a ton of events going on around the city. Have a wonderful pride! Jun 15th ASIAN BATHHOUSE NIGHT at Spa Excess -featuring our Men's Team doing demos and outreach June 17th PRE-PRIDE PINK BBQ 4pm -for ACAS Support Program and OPA+ members (contact support@acas.org for more info) June 20th PRIDE PREP PARTY 6pm -Help ACAS get ready for the upcoming Pride Parada March https://www.facebook.com/events/272600593204187/ June 20th AIDS VIGIL at Barbara Hall Park 8:30pm -Remember and honour those lost to AIDS with musical performances and a candlelighting https://www.facebook.com/events/708133556021761/ June 22nd ASIANXPRESS -It's the AXToronto Pride Dance Party! https://www.facebook.com/events/1715399852086449/ #gaysianpride June 23rd TRANS MARCH 6:30pm -Join fellow ACASrs in the march for Trans rights and visibiltliy https://www.facebook.com/events/471401529863958/ June 24th QAY PRIDE STAGE 12pm -Support our Queer Asian Youth (QAY) in all their talent on the QAY Health Promo Present: QAY Pride Stage! https://www.facebook.com/events/1949992111903087/ June 24th DYKE MARCH 1pm -Join the women's march! https://www.facebook.com/events/1860963550809464/ June 25th PRIDE PARADE -The main event! Join ACAS and show the city some Asian PRIDE! Meeting at George Hislop Park 12:30pm March starts at 2! https://www.facebook.com/events/827451247412104/\ June 28th HUMPDAY SOCIAL 6pm -Pride may be over but come down calm down with the Men's Program and relax and socialize https://www.facebook.com/events/763351257171502/