Events for November 14, 2024 - November 14, 2024

Saturday, March 20, 6pm-7:30pm EST Zoom link will be sent closer to the event time. CW: Racism, sexism, sexual violence, mental health/burnout Description: Join us Saturday evening with Ezra Li, an independent film maker, for a microcinema workshop! We will be debunking misconceptions about film making, diving into the film making process, and exploring resources and ways you can start your own journey into film making! About Ezra: Ezra Li (Citizen Li) is a video artist. As a genderqueer Chinese artist and Canadian immigrant, his work surrounds themes of identity politics, value dynamics, digital chauvinism, and globalization. He is heavily interdisciplinary; studied in filmmaking, he works in both digital and traditional animation, live action video, as well as in analogue paper traditions, zine, collage, and writing, and the effects of pastiche to critique capitalism. He has a committed passion for community building, dissemination of diasporic narratives, and marginalized perspectives. This event is made possible thanks to the support of United Way GTA #LocalLove Funded by the Government of Canada.

QTAY Presents: When You're Ready CYCLE 3 Peer Leaders: Angela, Min and Vale! DATES: Mar 27, Apr 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15 TIME: 1-3:30 PM for all sessions LOCATION: Zoom WHAT IS THE WYR PROGRAM? When You're Ready (WYR) is an 8-week program where East and Southeast Asian youth (ages 18-29) come together to discuss topics relating to their identity, with an emphasis on the whole idea of coming into your identity. What does it mean to be a queer and/or trans Asian youth? Did you recognize your queer-ness or Asian-ness first? What does it mean to be bi-cultural, biracial? Do you ever feel NOT Asian or queer enough? Is coming out part of the gay white agenda? These are just some of the questions we will be exploring as a group. Also, some topics we will touch upon are: anti-oppression, intersectionality, chosen family, shadeism, mindfulness and SO much more! STRUCTURE OF WYR We will be capping CYCLE 3 at 10 participants to facilitate an intimate environment where youth can explore and discuss these topics more in-depth. Please RSVP as soon as you can!We will be meeting once a week, every Saturday afternoon starting March 27 to May 15, 2021 (Mar 27, Apr 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15) from 1-3:30PM online. We encourage participants to attend all 8 sessions, but alas, the gig economy is real, school stress is very real and life in general is too real! So, please try to make at least 6/8 sessions! If you already know this is going to be tough to do, please refrain from signing up so that we can prioritize folks who can attend as many sessions as possible. If drop-in casual events are more your thing, keep an eye out for different digital events [...]

Under Pressure: Negotiating Safer Sex Among Gaysian Men This workshop is for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans men. Humpday is an evening for queer Asian guys to get together over a topic or theme related to our queer identities. Date: Wednesday, March 31 Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST To join us on Zoom, register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkc--hrzojHt1q-Wr_o-0RdlVRN7BH1Uom Have you ever worried he won’t hook up with you if you don’t want to bareback? Do you sometimes feel pressured to not use a condom, even if it's subtle? With special guest Dr. Shayna Skakoon-Sparling from the Condom Negotiation Project, we’ll dig into how power dynamics and other factors affect how gay Asian men use (or don’t use) condoms. We’ll look at successful strategies gay men use to insist on using condoms, but also on typical tactics guys use to give pressure into doing it raw. Let’s hear from you! We’ll also have time to share and learn from each other’s personal experiences. Photos by Khoa Võ and by Emiliano Arano from Pexels

This is a monthly group for East & Southeast Asian transmasculine and non-binary people. This includes all transmasculine-identifying folks or folks who may be questioning. We welcome people at any point of their transition. This month we will talk about: Passing experiences in South Korea, Japan, Canada Passing at Pre-HRT & Post-HRT Different passing scenarios with a discussion of coping strategies Need for coping strategies Date: Tuesday, April 6 Time: 7pm - 8:30pm EST If this will be your first time attending please register through this form (https://forms.gle/8W3VzpkbsRQ3iY3H9) and the facilitator will email you with the Zoom link. If you are part of the Asian trans masc Facebook group or email newsletter, you will automatically receive the Zoom link there. Who can join? ACAS primarily serves those who identify as East and/or Southeast Asian living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, we know spaces for East & Southeast Asian transmasc folks are very few and we are happy to open this event to those living outside of Toronto. Please note that resources will be focused on Toronto due to our knowledge of local services and resources. East & Southeast Asian includes those from multiple generations of immigrants (1st generation, 2nd generation, and so on..) and members of the diaspora from East & Southeast countries like China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, etc. This can also include people with mixed backgrounds from at least one of those countries. This may also include those who might not identify ethnically by blood, but have a substantial heritage or up-bringing living in those countries

REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/XuGHWrd9RX9vx3Jn8 LED BY: Vale Sunday, April 25, 2021 1:00 - 3:00 PM Zoom (virtual) Join us on Sunday March 28th from 1-3pm for "Bloom into Improv," a super fun afternoon full of improvisation led by Vale! 🌸 😄 Improv (improvisation) is a form of comedy where people make up their scene ideas and lines on the spot. It is known for audience participation and a great way for non-comedians to gain confidence, be vulnerable, and learn how to think on their feet. We have a bunch of fun games to play together, no matter how familiar you are with improv or comedy as a whole. Please join us on March 28 for fun games and times with other queer Asian folks! More information including the Zoom link will be emailed closer to the event date.

An ACAS workshop facilitated by Ryan Tran Open to all LGBTQIAP+ Asian folks Date: Wednesday, April 28 Time: 7pm-8pm EST Location: Online on Zoom To receive the Zoom link, please register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsd-igqjItG9wKi4NUJxdN_IcwQ48JQ-gm This workshop looks at the impacts of colonization and how it changed the way gender and LGBTQ+ identities were previously recognized in various Asian cultures. In this workshop we will define colonization, identify the impacts of colonization in Asia, and give an overview of LGBTQ+ representation in Asian history and culture.

This is a monthly group for East & Southeast Asian transmasculine and non-binary people. This includes all transmasculine-identifying folks or folks who may be questioning. We welcome people at any point of their transition. This monthly group is a safe space of support where we can share and learn from each other's common experiences as Asian transmasc folks. This group will be facilitated by an Asian transman. Date: Tuesday, May 4 Time: 7pm - 8:30pm EST If this will be your first time attending please register through this form (https://forms.gle/8W3VzpkbsRQ3iY3H9) and the facilitator will email you with the Zoom link. If you are part of the Asian trans masc Facebook group or email newsletter, you will automatically receive the Zoom link there. Who can join? ACAS primarily serves those who identify as East and/or Southeast Asian living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, we know spaces for East & Southeast Asian transmasc folks are very few and we are happy to open this event to those living outside of Toronto. Please note that resources will be focused on Toronto due to our knowledge of local services and resources. East & Southeast Asian includes those from multiple generations of immigrants (1st generation, 2nd generation, and so on..) and members of the diaspora from East & Southeast countries like China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, etc. This can also include people with mixed backgrounds from at least one of those countries. This may also include those who might not identify ethnically by blood, but have a substantial heritage or up-bringing living in those countries.

The SLAM! Forum (Sex Love Asian Men!) is an interactive online learning forum on sex, health, relationships, and lifestyle for self-identified cis & trans gay, bi, queer East and Southeast Asian men living in and across Canada. Date: May 7-9 Admission is free. Register at www.surveymonkey.com/r/LDD9K5R Zoom links will be emailed upon registration Each attendee living in Canada will be given an electronic giftcard for food for attending the forum. For this year's SLAM Forum: Online, we will share, learn, and connect together in our experiences through multiple online sessions held throughout the weekend of May 7-9. In this forum, we want to discuss what sex means to different individuals and empower folks to explore their own sense of sexuality. For your convenience, you can attend as many sessions as you’d like. To protect the safety and confidentiality of our community, the sessions will not be recorded. Session topics include: + Share & Care: Quarantine woes with queer Asian guys + PrEP 2.0 (Descovy) and HIV Tests@Home + Beyond Masc or Femme + PHA Experiences: Then & Now + Embracing Sensuality, Owning your Pleasure We are excited that each session will feature online performances from a variety of local queer Asian artists: + Terence Thepoet + Justin Anantawan + Tygr Willy + Sze-Yang Ade-Lam + Ms Nookie Galore This event is funded by ViiV Healthcare

👉 When: Sunday, May 16, 2021 👉 Time: 1 - 3 PM 👉 Location: Zoom (virtual) QTAY presents: Finding Your Ikigai Join us for a few hours of self-reflection to discover more about your passions, purpose, and meaning! According to Yukari Mitsuhashi, ikigai is a traditional Japanese concept that embodies happiness in living. Finding your ikigai is all about achieving greater happiness in life. In this workshop, we will be exploring the four main elements of ikigai and how they might intersect for you. Through this, we hope to guide you closer to your ikigai and ultimately give your everyday life more meaning and joy. This event is open to all queer and trans Asian youth, but we are capping participants at 10 people - so fill out our Google Form to save your spot! Feel free to email Dany at youth@acas.org for more information.

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.