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Did June just pass by like a whirlwind? Did you Come Out and Play? Are you still feeling the high from all the amazing and fun events that took place at ACAS during Pride Month? Here is a re-cap of what happened this past month: ACAS Crowns the first-ever Miss ACAS 2015!   For those who attended the Miss ACAS Pageant: A Pride CelebrAsian Fundraiser for Queer Asian Youth, you must remember what a fun and heart-warming event that was! We would like to congratulate our first-ever Miss ACAS 2015, Lara Bonita!  Thanks to our 4 very talented contestants---Madame Sin, Jolin Starr, Nookie Galore, and Lara Benita---all the guests, community allies and donors laughed, screamed, and joined together to raise over $7,000 for the ACAS youth program, Queer Asian Youth (QAY), which had lost its funding from the City after 15 years of existence serving as a culturally-safe space for East and Southeast LGBTQ Asian youth. We would like to thank our Volunteer Coordinator, Trisha Steinberg, for working so hard to put this event together, and to the team of volunteers who made the event possible. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all the attendees, donors and our co-sponsors, Dr. Robert Diaz, Assistant Professor of English and Gender Studies at OCAD University, OCAD’s Office of Diversity, Equality and Sustainability Initiative (ODESI), KAPATID Toronto, Gushi, Intercontinental Hotels, Holiday Inn Bloor-Yorkville, Moss Park PharmaCare, Win’s Flowers, Fresh.Beautiful (The Skin Studio), Andre Goh, Alan Li, Keith Wong, and Giovanni Temansja.   ACAS Celebrates Pride 2015 What a Pride Festival we had this year? For those who took part in this year’s festivity and celebration of LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, you must remember that it was a very WET Pride indeed! Though it poured and rained, the spirits of our ACAS community [...]

#missacas Announcing the first Miss ACAS PRIDE 2015 PAGEANT! Tickets $25 for advance purchase at ACAS office or $30 at the door or through Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/miss-acas-pride-2015-pageant-qay-fundraiser-tickets-17250382358 A night full of fun! - High energy performances - Hors d'ouevres and drinks - Silent auction - The 1st Miss ACAS pageant Come join us and have a blast! When: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Reception begins at 6 pm Program begins at 7:30 pm and concludes at 9:30 pm Location: 100 McCaul Street, Sharpe Centre for Design, OCAD University Auditorium (1st floor, Rm 190) Toronto, ON M5T 1W1 *Venue is wheelchair accessible. **This is a licensed event and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase on site. All proceeds of this event will help fund the ACAS Queer Asian Youth (QAY) Program, which recently received a funding cut. With ticket purchase, you are eligible for a $20 tax receipt. To request a tax receipt, contact events@acas.org. For all other inquiries, please contact events@acas.org or 416-963-4300. We hope to see you there! This event is generously co-sponsored by: OCAD University, Office of Diversity, Equality, and Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI) Dr. Robert Diaz, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences KAPATID Toronto _______________________________________________ Visit: www.acas.org ACAS (Asian Community AIDS Services) provides HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and support services to the East and Southeast Asian Canadian communities. Our programs are based on a pro-active and holistic approach to HIV/AIDS and are provided in a collaborative, empowering, and non-discriminatory manner. Follow us! www.twitter.com/ACAStoronto Like us! www.facebook.com/AsianCommunityAIDSServices

This June, Anda Li, Toronto Public Health Sexual Health Educator and long-time ACAS supporter and volunteer, has shared with us why training sex positive peer parent leaders is important to the community. Through her work providing the Raising Sexually Healthy Children (RSHC) Program with ACAS and for organizing training for parents and caregivers from 13 ethno-linguistic communities, Anda was honoured as one of the Ward 27 City Builders of 2014.

May is Asian Heritage Month, and ACAS had an amazingly busy and impactful month celebrating the Asian heritage within our wonderfully diverse community!   Did you wear pink at #PinkDotTO 2015 to support the freedom to love? To much success, ACAS, in collaboration with the Canadian Chinese National Council (Toronto Chapter), held the second annual #PinkDotTO Chinatown LGBTQ + Allies Pride March on Saturday, May 16, 2015 one day ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). Close to 100 marchers all dressed in Pink supported LGBTQ rights within the Asian and broader community. The theme of this year’s #PinkDotTO is “Supporting the Freedom to Love!”, and we would like to thank our honorary guests Councilor Kristyn Wong-Tam, long-time ACAS supporter Olivia Chow, as well as all the mainstream and ethnic media partners OMNI Mandarin, CP24, CTV, CityTV, Singtao Daily, MingPao News, and Dushi.ca for the coverage of the event. For all the event photos and news archives of the event, please visit the ACAS Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/AsianCommunityAIDSServices   OMNI Mandarin’s special interview highlighting LGBTQ awareness in the Asian Community! Aside from covering our ‪#‎PinkDotTO 2015 event where you would see a brief interview with our Queer Asian Youth Resource Development Lead Chuck Li, we would like to thank OMNI TV  for dedicating a news segment on the work of ACAS and LGBTQ issues during the OMNI Mandarin newscast on May 20, 2015. Watch the interview by news anchor Lee Wei and our very own ACAS Women Support Worker Jenny Cheng http://www.omnitv.ca/on/cmn/videos/4249957185001/!   ACAS presents community-based research study findings for Asian migrant farmworkers and Asian gay/bi men at CAHR2015 ACAS, with a strong record of conducting community-based research that impact the community, presented two research study posters at the 2015 Canadian Association for HIV/AIDS Research 2015 which took place at the Toronto Metro Convention [...]

Please note: The ACAS office is closed on Monday, May 18. We wish everyone a very happy and safe long weekend!   See everyone this Saturday, May 16, 2015 at #PinkDotToronto! #PinkDotTO Supporting the freedom to love! https://www.facebook.com/events/373403159517791/ Date/Time: Saturday, May 16 at 12:00PM Location: Market 707 (707 Dundas Street at Bathurst) Wear: PINK Pinkdot is a non-profit movement originating in Singapore by a group of individuals who care deeply and support the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to love. While we are fortunate to have marriage equality in Toronto, LGBT Asians in Toronto still face challenges from their families, friends, and the greater Asian community. With little conversation about being LGBT and Asian, this under represented group still struggles with coming out to their family and friends. We are gathering in Chinatown to show there is support and love in our community for LGBT Asians who are still trying to find a place where they feel comfortable to be themselves. It is an event for everyone; straight, gay, and allies, who support the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to love. This year on Saturday, May 16, Asian Community AIDS Services and the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter are pleased to present PinkDot Toronto. It will be hosted at the Scadding Court Community Centre, including a march through Chinatown. Show your support for queer Asians by wearing pink and march down Chinatown during Asian Heritage Month and International Day Against Homophobia/Transphobia! Friends, family and allies are welcome. ____________________________________________ #PinkDotTO (Chinatown Pride March and Community Picnic) is organized by Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO). Special thanks to Scadding Court Community Centre and Market 707 for providing us with the space for the event! Follow us on Twitter: @PinkDotToronto and join in [...]

JOB POSTING: Summer Student Job Position -  Straight Men Outreach Worker Application Deadline: Thursday, May 21, 2015 ACAS supports employment equity. Member of the East and Southeast Asian Canadian communities, and people living with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to apply.

May is Asian Heritage Month! You can taken part in celebrating the diverse Asian cultures by visiting http://asian-heritage-month.org See the Schedule of Events for May 2015 Asian Heritage Month: http://www.vmacch.ca/alpha/index.html _______________________________________________________________ You can also visit The Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Cultural Heritage (http://www.vmacch.ca/beta/index.html) where you can explore the Virtual Exhibits and browse the Archives of Asian Canadian culture. ________________________________________________________________ *The "May is Asian Heritage Month" & "Join the Celebration"  artwork are taken from Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc. (http://www.vmacch.ca/alpha/index.html)

"What's New in HIV Treatment and Prevention"- ACAS Health Promotion Workshop by Dr. Darrell Tan,  MD FRCPC PhD, sponsored by Gilead at Cranberries Restaurant (April 10, 2015) You can also visit all the other ACAS Health Promotion Workshop at the ACAS HIV Treatment Information in Asian Languages Site. We would like to thank Dr. Tan for the continuous support he has provided to ACAS and QAY over the years. Dr Darrell Tan is an infectious diseases physician and clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. After completing undergraduate studies in Microbiology, Immunology & International Development Studies at McGill University in Montreal, he completed medical school, residency training and a PhD in clinical epidemiology at U of T. His research focuses on various aspects of HIV infection, including interactions with common sexually transmitted co-infections like herpes simplex virus and syphilis, as well as strategies for HIV prevention including pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Dr. Tan was the Co-Chair of the CAHR 2015 Conference that just took place in Toronto between April 30 t0 May 3, 2015.

Spring is finally here! The ACAS and QAY crew have definitely not wasted any time to take advantage of the warm weather (as you can see for yourself!): Did you get S.L.A.M.-ed?! For REAL!!!  Yes, S.L.A.M.-ed as in did you attend our “Sex, Love, Asian, Men: REAL” sexual health forum put on by the lovely Richard, Ryan, and Ly of the ACAS Men’s Program? Over 40 Asian gay, bisexual, and queer men came together on April 25, 2015 to examine the realities of living as a sexual and racial minority within a culturally safe space. Participants not only showed each other their favourite dance moves but also participated in various discussions on oppression and privilege, the sexual hierarchy, love and relationships, and a “Talking ‘straight’ ” session presented by Christian Hui, Straight Talk Coordinator, on Asian heterosexual men who have sex with men. We would like to thank the planning committee and our dedicated team of volunteers for making this event such a success, as well as all the participants who had shared so openly and courageously as we build a stronger and healthier community of queer Asian men!   Women Self-Defense Due to popular demand, our Women’s Program once again held a free Self-Defence Class at the ACAS Women’s Social on Thursday April 16, 2015. Our first Self-Defence workshop took place in January 2015, and because it was so popular with our participants, we had to schedule another one in April! ACAS Women’s Program events are open to all self-identified East and Southeast Asian Women and Trans* Women.    Fighting HIV Stigma with the Rotary Club  ACAS was very honoured to be fighting HIV stigma with the Rotary Club. On April 15, 2015, our Community Engagement Coordinator, Christian Hui, along with community members from other local AIDS service organizations, [...]