Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community


Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women Transgender Community is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area that provides opportunities for Asian & Pacific Islander queer women and transgender people to socialize, network, build community, engage in inter-generational organizing, and increase community visibility.
APIQWTC grew out of the API Lunar New Year Banquet, founded in 1987 by a small group of queer and transgender Asian women. APIQWTC was officially founded in 1999 by Crystal Jang, Koko Lin, and Trinity Ordona, as a new hub for established and new community groups to exchange news and coordinate projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, it evolved from a network to a community organization.
In 2012, the co-founders reported that APIQWTC provides the space for an estimated 1,000 queer women and transgender individuals of Asian descent to gather and celebrate who they are. APIQWTC is a space for "many queer women and transgender Asians live in the closet in fear of losing their family and community." Today, its membership boasts 800 members, possibly the largest Asian lesbian/transgender organization on the West Coast.
APIQWTC hosts the following events and activities annually: Lunar New Year Banquet; Summer Barbeque; Phoenix Award; Community Artist award; Trips; Support for community LGBT organizations; Monthly Meet-ups. Every year, APIQWTC provides two scholarship to deserving API LGBT students pursuing higher education. During the yearly banquet, an API LGBT organization is designated to receive a percentage of the annual banquet receipts to further its mission.