SLAM Forum: Sex and Mental Health
Sex and Mental Health: An Intersectional Approach for Gay Asian Men led by Judy Lui, M.Sc., CCC., RP Sunday August 23, 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST Judy will be spending the first portion discussing her experiences of working with LGBTQ+ folks in York Regions, specifically speaking to the experiences of East Asian and Chinese client's experiences in therapy and more intimately the topic of working with gay Asian men. The second half of the session will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share their own experiences. About the Facilitator: Judy is the founder and director of Your Story Counselling, a individual, couple, family, trauma, and sex psychotherapy clinic located in Vaughan Ontario, with both online and in office session options. As a passionate ally to the LGBTQ+ community Judy has dedicated her work to be inclusive of the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community, especially those also of Asian and/or other ethnic minority descent; understanding that the complicated and beautiful layers of those lived experiences as something important to hold space and healing for. Judy continues to engage in the LGBTQ+ community in her psychotherapy work by offering reduced fees for those that identify as LGBTQ+ and/or of a ethnic minority status. Judy is also a regular contributor to PFlag York region, having sponsored galas and charity events in the past. Admission is free. Registration required at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/slam2020This event is for East and Southeast Asian gay, bi, queer cisgender and transgender men living in and near Ontario, Canada. The SLAM! Forum (Sex Love Asian Men!) is an interactive learning forum on sex, health, relationships, and lifestyle for self-identified for cis & trans gay, bi, queer East and Southeast Asian men. For the SLAM Forum: Hindsight 2020, we will share, learn, and connect together in our experiences through multiple online sessions held [...]
SLAM Forum: Advances in PrEP & PrEP Access (Maple Leaf PrEP Clinic)
Advances in PrEP & PrEP Access at the Maple Leaf PrEP Clinic led by Andy Mok, RN Monday August 24, 7:30pm - 9:00pm EST Wondering if PrEP is right for you? Have questions or concerns about how to access PrEP in Toronto? Not sure if you can afford PrEP on a monthly basis or if your insurance covers PrEP? Come join this session to learn how the Maple Leaf PrEP Clinic can support your PrEP needs. Participants will learn about the difference between daily PrEP vs. "On-Demand" PrEP, in addition to exploring different avenues on accessing PrEP regardless of your visa status and/or financial situation. About the Facilitator: Andy has been working as a community and primary health nurse for the past two years. As an Asian gay man, he is committed to making a positive impact in the Canadian healthcare system by advocating for equitable rights and fair treatment of marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ and people living with mental illness and/or HIV/AIDS. Working in the community setting, Andy proactively raises public awareness of the negative impact of stigmas on the health of affected individuals and communities. He engages in stigma reduction training with the goal of becoming a nursing leader and champion to address social stigma and health inequities. Admission is free. Registration required at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/slam2020This event is for East and Southeast Asian gay, bi, queer cisgender and transgender men living in and near Ontario, Canada. The SLAM! Forum (Sex Love Asian Men!) is an interactive learning forum on sex, health, relationships, and lifestyle for self-identified for cis & trans gay, bi, queer East and Southeast Asian men. For the SLAM Forum: Hindsight 2020, we will share, learn, and connect together in our experiences through multiple online sessions held throughout the weekend of August 21-24. For your convenience, you can [...]
Men’s Movie Night: Athlete
This is a free event for gay, bi, queer Asian cis and trans men. Athlete (アスリート 〜俺が彼に溺れた日々〜) (Japan, 2019, 89 minutes) directed by Takamasa Oe. Japanese with English subtitles Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOyD9V58ZE Synopsis: Kohei is a former competitive swimmer who lives an ordinary life with his wife and high school daughter. One day, his wife suddenly asks him for a divorce. He then has a fateful encounter with a beautiful boy named Yutaka. 9:00pm EDT - Room open for arrivals 9:15pm EDT - Movie start time We’ll be hosting the movie on a free platform called Kast. A free Kast account is required. Sign up at (w.kastapp.live). With the invite link, you can watch directly through Google Chrome only or download the desktop app (kast.gg/download.html) Register by emailing Ryan at men@acas.org for the private Kast room link. There is a chatbox feature that we can use if you want to comment and share your thoughts throughout the movie
Men’s Games Night
Your Friday nights at home just got a little better! Looking to meet new friends during the pandemic? This is the first of a monthly online games night for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans guys We'll focus on one game for the night. Feel free to drop in and out between 8pm - 9:30pm EDT Email Ryan at men@acas.org for the Zoom link.
Asian LGBTQ+ Online Social – Games Night!
Starting this month, ACAS will begin to hold a variety of regular online events to allow Asian LGBTQ+ community members to get together, socialize, chat and check-in with one another – and we would love for you to join us! This month, we’ll kick things off with our Asian LGBTQ+ Online Games Night, featuring ice breakers and Pictionary! Bring your favourite treats and teas, and let's get down to business! Date: Saturday September 26th Time: 7:30pm-9:00pm Feel free to drop in, say hi! If you have any questions or other recommendations for future events you would like to see, please do not hesitate to contact Kai at community@acas.org This event is open to ALL Asian folks that self-identify as LGBTQ+! Please register here: https://forms.gle/PfPYE87jkzvtMaW47 More details and invitation to the Zoom event will be sent to you once you register. If you can’t make it this month, don’t worry! There will more in the future! Be sure to regularly check our Facebook, Instagram and website calendar for more updates. Funded by the Government of Canada.
Men’s Humpday: OnlyFans Edition
This event is for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans men. This month's Humpday is a THURSDAY (October 1st) with a special guest sharing his personal experience on starting his own OnlyFans venture. This local Toronto gaysian has grown quick in popularity, reaching the top 2.8% tier of all creators in only his first two weeks! Arvin will be giving us his insights on what it takes to bare all to make some extra money. There will be time to ask your questions at the end. Thursday, October 1 7:00pm - 8:00pm Register by emailing Ryan at men@acas.org for the Zoom link
Support Program Workshop: Thai Massage
Dear ACAS Support Program Clients and Caregivers, Hope you all are taking care of yourself in this challenging time. To continue with our self-care series, we are excited to invite you to our Thai Massage workshop on October 1 (Thursday), 2020 from 7-8:30PM on Zoom. We invited Thana, a Thai registered massage therapist to facilitate a workshop for us. Here is the agenda of the workshop: 1. Thana introduction 2. Check-in 3. Background of Thai Massage 4. Breathing technique & meditation 5. Self-massage with Thai massage techniques for common conditions, e.g. backache, headache, office syndromes. 6. Self-stretching & simple yoga poses 7. Self-care suggestion & summary 8. Q&A If you wish to participate, please contact Alex at support@acas.org. The workshop will be conducted in English. We hope this workshop can give you another option to practise self-care, connect with your body and relax. See you there.
Midnight Lotus: Mid-Autumn Reunion
Dear Fellow Gay Asians 40+ members: It has been months since we last met and our last gathering cancelled due to the pandemic...we hope you are all doing well. We miss you all! At a recent town hall gathering for LGBTQ+ community co-sponsored by ACAS and Project PROTECH, many of our members identified the wish to stay connected virtually, so here we are: We would like to invite all of you to join us on a virtual reunion social networking session on Friday October 2nd, from 6-7:30 p.m. It would be in time to celebrate the mid-Autumn festival, a time to be reunited and reconnected. Let us connect, catch up with each other and chat about how we can best stay connected and support each other going forward! Please join our virtual reunion on Zoom. Contact Ryan at men@acas.org for the Zoom link or if you have any questions. Looking forward to meeting you all! Best, Midnight Lotus Organizing Committee Midnight Lotus (formerly know as Gay Asians 40+) is organized by former members of Gay Asians Toronto (GAT) and sponsored by Asians Community AIDS Services (ACAS). Through regular social events and educational activities, our group aims to provide a forum and community support to gay Asians who are 40 plus.
Men’s Games Night
Your Friday nights at home just got a little better! Looking to meet new friends during the pandemic? This is a monthly online games night for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans guys. We'll start with introductions and then play a fun game called Among Us. You will need to download the free game app on your phone at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Download ahead of time so you can be ready to join in. Feel free to drop in and out between 8pm - 9:30pm EDT Email Ryan at men@acas.org for the Zoom link. How to play Among Us Among Us is a cooperative game where Crewmates can win by completing all tasks or discovering and voting the Impostor off the ship. The Impostor tries to secretly sabotage the ship and kill its crewmates one by one. The Imposter can use sabotage to cause chaos, making for easier kills and better alibis. Every time a dead crewmate is reported, the crewmates have the opportunity to discuss and vote who they believe the imposter is. If they vote correctly, the crewmates win! Crewmates can also declare an emergency meeting in order to discuss and vote.
QTAY Peer Educator Training
Want to be a QTAY Peer Educator?! Want to… … Learn new leadership skills? … Make an impact in the Queer and Trans East and Southeast Asian community? … Increase your social support networks and meet amazing youth in the community? Come join our team by attending QTAY’s mandatory one-day training on OCT 10 and go through an interview. Hiring details:Before the training, submit your resume, cover letter and 2 references, and we will call qualified peers for a job interview. We are looking for 3 peer leaders to work a 7-month contract (Oct 19, 2020 – May 21, 2021). You will be paid $15/hrs, 10hr/week (refer to "Discussion" tab on event page to view the official Job Posting). HOW TO RSVPYou can RSVP by using ONE of the following methods:e-mailing us at youth@acas.orgclicking "attending/going" on our facebook event page (please make sure to check your unread messages to see if you've received a confirmation from Gabriel Bacani)Direct Messaging (DM) us on our @queerasianyouth Instagram page Once you’ve RSVP’d, Gabriel will send you a zoom link close to the training date! DATE: OCT 10, 2020 TIME: 12PM – 5PM LOCATION: ZOOM! (a zoom link will be sent to you once your attendance has been confirmed by Gabriel!) TRAINING TOPICS: Group Facilitation, Peer Support, Navigating Emotional Triggers in the Workplace