Celebrating APA voices for equality during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions of Asian Pacific Americans (APA) that have helped to enrich this country. This year, I would like to honor the APA individuals and organizations that are advancing the struggle for marriage equality. Indeed, when it comes to marriage equality, APAs are not simply standing on the sidelines; many are spearheading the struggle nationwide.
Just last year, New York State Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan issued a ruling in favor of marriage equality, citing the history of interracial marriage as a justification for her decision. Today, APA same-sex couples are chief plaintiffs in statewide lawsuits to win marriage equality in California, Maryland, New York, and Washington. One of the main attorneys in a number of these suits is Kenneth Choe of the ACLUs Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.
In addition, several leading figures in the APA community support marriage equality, including: Margaret Cho, Dr. David Ho, Congressman Mike Honda, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Yoko Ono, George Takei, Amy Tan, and Helen Zia. Takei ("Mr. Sulu" of Star Trek fame) himself is currently embarking on a national speaking tour to discuss his life as a gay Japanese American.
Added to their support are the endorsements of over 50 APA organizations, including all of the major APA civil rights organizations in the country. In fact, one of the earliest organizations to endorse marriage equality was the Japanese American Citizens League. They were only the second non-gay organization after the American Civil Liberties Union to sign on. That was in 1994.
Among the most exciting development in recent years has been the groundswell of grassroots activism in support of marriage equality within the nations APA communities. This year, APA activists organized marriage equality contingents at Chinese New Year parades in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The latter was seen by over 3 million parade goers and television viewers in the Unites States, Canada, and even Asia.
Central behind APA support for marriage equality are children, citizenship, and civil rights. Census studies have found higher rates of parenting and non-citizenship status, as well as lower household income, among APA same-sex couples than white same-sex couples and APA opposite-sex couples. APA same-sex couples would thus stand to benefit the most from marriage equality. It would confer protections that would keep their families more safe, healthy, and intact.
Moreover, APAs have faced a long history of discrimination in the United States: wartime internment, immigration restrictions, and laws banning interracial marriage. Many APAs understand that this legacy of exclusion and unequal citizenship remains painfully real today for same-sex couples. It explains why so many APAs are now raising their voices in defense of pluralism, mutual respect, and security for all loving families.
This month, I hope you will join me in celebrating those APA voices for equality.
Andy Wong is the founder and coalition manager of Asian Equality, a national coalition of APA individuals and organizations in support of marriage equality. More information is available at www.asianequality.org.
Why Marriage Matters America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry.
By Evan Wolfson
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Read families’ stories about how marriage discrimination affects everyday life. These stories communicate, in concrete ways, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage hurts families and helps no one.
Start in The Marriage Basics to get short answers to your big questions about the freedom to marry, and learn more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the historical background for this civil rights movement, why separate is not equal, and so much more.
