Events for November 13, 2024 - November 13, 2024

Did people ever assume that you were good at math just because you were Asian? Were you expected to be soft-spoken and quiet, or loud and assertive because of your gender? Are you interested in unpacking how race and gender interact to shape our experiences in the world? In this workshop, we will be discussing the racist stereotypes that affected us growing up, the gender expectations that were (and are!) placed upon us, and how we can live loud and proud in a world that wants to make us feel invisible. About Pillow Talk: Pillow Talk is a forum hosted by ACAS that aims to draw lessons learned about sexuality, intimacy, and relationships from the real-life experiences of Asian ciswomen, transwomen, and non-binary folks.  This year, ACAS is proud to host Pillow Talk 2021: Sorting Through the Fluff, sponsored by Viiv Healthcare!  Thank you to ViiV for supporting us and helping us create a safer space to discuss our experiences around intimacy and relationships to both our own and other people’s bodies.

QTAY is hosting an open mic night! Join us Wednesday May 19 from 7pm to 9pm, when we will unleash an awesome line-up of performances and FUN TIMES! Performances can be live or pre-recorded.   Want to perform? Here’s the sign-up link: https://forms.gle/bWuBzdYZad3goRtw9 Want to watch? You can register to do so here: https://forms.gle/MFjSSmpRKH4LyMFx7   [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: neon blue and pink text over a diagonally split background of hazy night lights and sparkles]

Kicking off during Asian Heritage month, ACAS is hosting an English Conversation Circle! Looking to practice your English speaking? The ACAS English Conversation Circle is for the Qmunity if you want to make new friends and develop your English speaking skills. This series will be on Zoom, so you can participate from anywhere. We will host the English Conversation Circle once per month, where you can become more confident in your speaking and make new friends in a judgment-free safe space. Please click here to reserve your spot. https://docs.google.com/.../15l4JrOZLnMqtAK28Pae3SMO.../edit After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

An anti-oppression workshop facilitated by Ryan Tran with ASAAP and Pride Toronto Through the intersectional lens of being LGBTQ and East/Southeast Asian, we give an overview of the major issues and their impacts on our community with an interactive activity Join us on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/94891872297?pwd=ZmRnWVQ3TUwyTlZ0MFBabHhtekErZz09

We are all magical beings. Our magic is incarnated through our joy, resilience and love. This workshop is an exploration in various healing tools--art-making, chill mindfulness techniques and grounding exercises for tapping into your gorgeous asian power. For this workshop, we prioritize queer Asian magic users, but any Asian magic users of marginalized genders are allowed to join (ciswoman, transwoman, non-binary, etc.). About Pillow Talk: Pillow Talk is a forum hosted by ACAS that aims to draw lessons learned about sexuality, intimacy, and relationships from the real-life experiences of Asian ciswomen, transwomen, and non-binary folks.  This year, ACAS is proud to host Pillow Talk 2021: Sorting Through the Fluff, sponsored by Viiv Healthcare!  Thank you to ViiV for supporting us and helping us create a safer space to discuss our experiences around intimacy and relationships to both our own and other people’s bodies.

Curious about exploring pleasure? Need a refresher on STIs and HIV/AIDS? Time to wrap it up, because our facilitators will take you through an informative and interactive session. Tasneem will introduce STI risks and cover some safer practices. Ayser will inform you about tools for your pleasure and ways to cover your bases. Now let’s tie up those ties and get sexually wise! About Pillow Talk: Pillow Talk is a forum hosted by ACAS that aims to draw lessons learned about sexuality, intimacy, and relationships from the real-life experiences of Asian ciswomen, transwomen, and non-binary folks.  This year, ACAS is proud to host Pillow Talk 2021: Sorting Through the Fluff, sponsored by Viiv Healthcare!  Thank you to ViiV for supporting us and helping us create a safer space to discuss our experiences around intimacy and relationships to both our own and other people’s bodies.

Igniting East and Southeast Asian Youth Activism on Anti-Asian Racism, Anti-AIDS Stigma & Discrimination, and Anti-Homophobia & Transphobia Panelists: Justin Anantawan, Youth Activist Michael Arnord, Executive Director at Égides – International Francophone Alliance for Equality and Diversity Dany Ko, ACAS Youth Coordinator Dr. Alan Li, ACAS Co-founder, HIV/AIDS Advocate and Champion   Moderator: Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp, Executive Director, Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) Please register here

A panel discussion with Asian LGBTQ Community Leaders Moderated by Ryan Tran With ASAAP and Pride Toronto What does it look like when we take Asian culture and make it queer? Or do we take gay culture and make it Asian? Using their own experiences, our panel of queer Asian leaders discuss how our identities can intertwine, and share how they created safe spaces that cultivate our intersectionality. Join us on Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/96080494277?pwd=NzhwZGVWcURZcUlHdlc1OEYvZzZQdz09 Panelists: Joon (they/she), AQUA (Asian Queer Alliance) a queer 2nd gen Korean living in Toronto who makes a living out of mental health counselling. They are at their best when they make time to read, tend their garden, and with their halmoni (grandmother) Rejh Cabrera (they/them), New Ho Queen gender non-conforming model/stylist/designer/creative director, muse and founding member of New Ho Queen, the Toronto-based art collective aimed at celebrating and uplifting queer Asians and QTBIPOC Alan Li, M.D. (he/him) Past president, Gay Asians Toronto; Past National President, Chinese Canadian National Council; Founding presidents of Hong Kong 10% Club-1986 (1st incorporated LGBT group in Asia), Asian Community AIDS Services (1994), Co-founder of Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (2001) & Ethno-racial Treatment Support Network (2003).

Queer Asians to the stage and you all get front row seats! This is a showcase of thought-provoking performances from local queer East/Southeast Asian artists that bring queer Asian issues to the forefront. Join us on Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/92783805959?pwd=My8yakFpSk5BdW81eXNFcElwdTBUdz09 Performances by: cutsleeve Mattea Shay Dior Vale Wrong Note Rusty Ysabel