Events for November 1, 2024 - November 1, 2024

This event is only for Asians living with HIV/AIDS (APHA) in Ontario. Ontario Positive Asians (OPA+) is an independent, peer-driven network for self-identified Asians living with HIV/AIDS (APHA) in Ontario and provides a culturally-safe space for members this diverse, vibrant, and culturally-rich community.   This is our second night of the OPA+ gathering on August 17. We are pleased to have one of our original founders of O.P.A. Mr. Christian Hui to present on harm reduction which he is so passionate in this topic. During this session you will find ways to support individuals who are experiencing the process in harm reduction plus more. Our last part of the evening we will have a panel discussion on racism led by our peers. They are going to share their perspectives in racism and hopefully we can generate a healthy conversation amongst each other. REGISTRATION: Registration will be on a first come first served basis since we have limited capacity. Please mention on your registration which evening you would like to participate to Alex Ma at support@acas.org   Once we confirm your registration, Alex will send you a follow up e-mail with the link of Zoom. If you have any concern on navigating Zoom, please let Alex be aware of it and he will do his best to support you.   For more info about OPA+ see our website: http://acas.orgabout/opa/ https://ontariopa.wixsite.com/opaplus/  

Don’t Sleep on My Identity: A Discussion on Interactions with Intersectional Identities and Intimacy led by Dany Ko August 18, 6:00pm - 8pm (Register by Sunday, August 16th) TO REGISTER: https://forms.gle/nCtGuBMXtR5ATRm1A What does it mean to be at the intersection of a multitude of identities, especially in intimate situations? How does being Asian influence how you interact with other people and yourself? Come talk it out, share your stories, and empathize with others as we work through collective (yet different) experiences of identity and intimacy. Please join us for this year's Pillow Talk: From Isolation to Intimacy, an online forum about sexuality, intimacy, & relationships by and for Asian ciswomen, transwomen, and nonbinary folks, hosted by ACAS. Please register soon to ensure that you get a spot in our workshops! Who can participate? Asian women, Asian transgender women, & Asian non-binary folks 18 years and up East Asian and Southeast Asian background We acknowledge that there is unfortunate wording used in this post for legal / funding reasons. Transwomen are women, and anyone who says otherwise is scum. [Image Description: Two femme-presenting figures lay on the right and left sides of a pillow. They are facing each other and it seems like one is talking and the other is listening. There are a few pillows between them. On the pillows and blanket that comes up from the bottom of the photo include all the text above. The image has tones of purple, pink, and white all over it.]

(繁體中文和简体中文在下面) Are you a queer or trans Asian facing these issues during covid19: social isolation, racism, insufficent income? We want to hear from you! Join our virtual town hall for the Covid-19 impact on Asian LGBTQ+ community! Wednesday, August 19, 6 PM to 8 PM. Let’s connect, share our stories and find ways to support each other. Register for this FREE event now shorturl.at/yz156. This event is co-sponsored by PROTECH & Asian Community AIDS Services. Students, seniors and people living with HIV are welcome. Please see the event poster attached. Please feel free to forward this information to anyone you think may be interested. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions. (繁體中文) 新冠病毒大流行期間，很多人面臨著社交隔離、種族歧視、收入不足…你是否正在經歷這些問題的酷兒或跨性別亞裔？ 我們希望與你取得聯繫！ 加入我們的線上市民大會! 8月19日周三下午6點-8點，讓我們一起相聚， 分享我們的故事，找到在這個特殊時期互幫互助的方法！ 本次活動費用全免，馬上掃碼報名參加這次免費的線上活動！點擊 此鏈接 shorturl.at/yz156 。歡迎分享！ 本次活動由保泰社區抗疫行動 和亞洲社區爱滋病服務共同舉辦。 特別歡迎學生、長者和愛滋病毒攜帶者前來參加。 請參閱以下的活動海報。 請大家將此信息轉發給你身邊有需要的人，或感興趣的親朋好友！如果您有任何問題，請隨時聯系我們。 (简体中文) 新冠病毒大流行期间，很多人面临着社交隔离、种族歧视、收入不足…你是否正在经历这些问题的同志或跨性别亚裔？ 我们希望与你取得联系！ 加入我们的线上市民大会! 8月19日周三下午6点-8点，让我们一起相聚， 分享我们的故事，找到在这个特殊时期互帮互助的方法！ 本次活动费用全免，马上扫码报名参加这次免费的线上活动！点击此链接 shorturl.at/yz156 。欢迎分享！ 本次活动由保泰社区抗疫行动 和 亚洲社区艾滋病服务 共同举办。 特别欢迎学生、长者和艾滋病毒携带者前来参加。 请参阅以下的活动海报。 请大家将此信息转发给你身边有需要的人，或感兴趣的亲朋好友！如果您有任何问题，请随时联系我们。

Oh, Sheet! Cover-ing All Your Bases: Sexual Health, STIs, and HIV/AIDs 101 led by Tasneem Badshah August 20, 6:00pm - 8pm (Register by Tuesday, August 18th) TO REGISTER: https://forms.gle/nCtGuBMXtR5ATRm1A Perhaps it's your first time learning about sexual health practices, STIs, and HIV/AIDS. Perhaps you just need a review. or perhaps it's a mix of both, and you want to learn more! join us in this interactive workshop as we go over basic HIV/AIDS information, STI symptoms, safe sex practices, and more. Remember, taking care of your body includes sexual health, too! Please join us for this year's Pillow Talk: From Isolation to Intimacy, an online forum about sexuality, intimacy, & relationships by and for Asian ciswomen, transwomen, and nonbinary folks, hosted by ACAS. Please register soon to ensure that you get a spot in our workshops! Who can participate? Asian women, Asian transgender women, & Asian non-binary folks 18 years and up East Asian and Southeast Asian background We acknowledge that there is unfortunate wording used in this post for legal / funding reasons. Transwomen are women, and anyone who says otherwise is scum. [Image Description: On femme-presenting figure is seen lounging on a pillow on the top left. Their eyes are closed and their hands are over their head. There are several pillows on the right side and under them in the middle of the image. On the pillows and blanket that comes up from the bottom of the photo include all the text above. The image has tones of purple, pink, and white all over it.]

Community Games & Social Friday August 21, 8:00pm - 10:00pm EST It's a gay Asian happy hour! We know this pandemic can feel lonely. Let's get together for some fun company and meet new friends. We'll set up breakout rooms for different online games to play (like Jackbox, Charades, Pictionary), while the main room will be for guys who want to chit chat. 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 attend as many sessions as you'd like. To protect the safety and confidentiality of our community, the sessions will not be recorded. This event is funded by ViiV Healthcare

A New Era In HIV prevention: PrEP & PEP updates that everyone should know led by Michael Fanous from the MedsExpert Clinic + Pharmacy Saturday August 22, 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST 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 attend as many sessions as you'd like. To protect the safety and confidentiality of our community, the sessions will not be recorded. An electronic giftcard will be given to each attendee after they complete the session's evaluation. This event is funded by ViiV Healthcare

COVID-19, Anti-Asian Racism & International Activism – the Queer Asian Connections led by Alan Tai-Wai Li, M.D. and Henry “JiaJia” Lam (Director of Communications and Community Engagement, ACHK) Saturday August 22, 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST Starting with our social location as Asian Canadians and our current challenges and work related to COVID-19 anti-Asian Racism, we will draw connections of its broader global politics and our ongoing work on LGBTQ+ activism  in Canada and Hong Kong. There will be a dynamic discussion amongst participants to share experiences and insights of activism in different areas and explore synergistic solidarity strategies. About the Facilitators: Alan Li is a medical doctor, educator, researcher, community organizer and advocate based in Toronto, Canada with over 30 years’ experiences working many marginalized populations including immigrants, refugees, people facing challenges with poverty, service access barriers, mental health and addiction issues, LGBTQ and people with HIV/AIDS (PHA). In addition to working at the Regent Park Community Health Centre as a primary care physician, Alan has taken on leadership roles in many social justice and equity promoting organizations, including as the national president of the Chinese Canadian National Council, president of Gay Asians Toronto (GAT), and as founding president of the Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS), and the Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT), a coalition working to improve treatment access for and promote leadership of newcomer and racialized PHAs, where Alan has led multiple community-based research studies that led to the development of many innovative health promotion programs and services amongst HIV, sexual minorities, newcomer and racialized communities. Henry “JiaJia” Lam (he/him) is a Vancouver-based writer. A long-time advocate for Hong Kong’s LGBTQ equality and marriage equality in an artistic approach. Co-founder of Gayradio.hk and Primaco Productions. After his relocation to Canada, Lam has since actively write for Hong Kong politics and migrant community. He is Director [...]

Transmasculinity & Dating (This session is only for trans men and trans masc folks) led by Caiden Sunday August 23, 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST About the Facilitator: Caiden is an engineer who is transitioning to medicine. He has also transitioned to live as a man since 2014, and has been involved in various community work. 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 attend as many sessions as you'd like. To protect the safety and confidentiality of our community, the sessions will not be recorded. An electronic giftcard will be given to each attendee after they complete the session's evaluation. This event is funded by ViiV Healthcare

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 [...]

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 [...]