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Joy Ma (Editor's note: Joy Ma is a high school student from the Class of 2025 at The Torrey Pines High School. Joy is a recipient of 2024 API Internship in Journalism. ) SAN DIEGO — On June 24 the White House hosted an Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Pride Month convening to commemorate the achievements of queer people of AANHPI backgrounds. The event reflected the Biden-Harris administration’s stated commitment to helping the queer community in the United States, while acknowledging that queer people may face discrimination in different ways depending on their race, ethnicity, gender and other factors. According to the White House Initiative on AANHPI, one of the co-hosts of the event, the convening aimed to amplify voices that have historically been marginalized and to foster a greater understanding of the intersectionality within the AANHPI LGBTQI+ community.
Speakers from the administration, as well as prominent AANHPI LGBTQI+ leaders, shared powerful stories of resilience, advocacy and community building. Kota Mizutani, senior advisor for public engagement and primary liaison to AANHPI communities for the Office of Public Engagement, welcomed the attendees at the convening. “We are having this event because it is important to highlight the diversity in our communities,” Mizutani said. The first speaker was WHIAANHPI Executive Director and former Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Krystal Ka’ai. “Since President Biden restarted the White House Initiative and the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders three years ago, his administration has worked hard to promote fairness, justice and opportunities for these diverse communities,” Ka’ai said. “We’ve worked hard to create a safe space to honor all Asian-American native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander LGBTQI+ individuals.” Neera Tanden, Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, talked about the President’s record on LGBTQI+ issues. “I’m very proud to work in an administration where we have put LGBTQI issues … at the front and center of our equity work.” According to Tanden, the administration had recently taken “historic actions” in regards to reshaping protections around access to education, access to healthcare and committing to combat sex-based discrimination with Section 1557 of Title IX. Ka’ai agreed. “We honor the bravery and resilience of AANHPI LGBTQI+ individuals who have paved the way for greater acceptance and equality. Their contributions enrich our society and strengthen our commitment to justice for all,” Ka’ai said. Gautam Raghavan, Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, spoke about the importance of building community and safe spaces among AANHPI and LGBTQI+ people in the face of discrimination and prejudice. “Obviously, communities face challenges … but none of our communities are monolithic. Each of those amazingly fabulous letters I listed at the beginning has its own story and has its own challenges, but we also know that we’re stronger together, and I think this group gathering is proof of that concept,” Raghavan said. Other prominent AANHPI LGBTQI+ advocates thenalso participated in a panel discussion, sharing their personal journeys and ongoing work to address urgent issues that face their communities. The topics included mental health, access to healthcare and the historical discrimination that LGBTQI+ people face. The event also featured Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the co-commissioners of the President’s Advisory Commission on AANHPI. “The committee is committed to ensuring that … the rights of [LGBTQI+ people] are not only protected, but celebrated,” Becerra said. Tai spoke passionately about the need for intersectional advocacy, highlighting the layered challenges faced by individuals at the crossroads of multiple identities. “Our work is far from over,” Tai said. “But by standing together and raising [our] voices, we can make significant strides toward equality and justice.”
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