LGBTQIA+ Resources for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)

Collage of LGBTQIA People

The LGBTQIA+ communities of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) descent are gradually gaining more support from organizations and resources that provide valuable assistance, advocacy, and a sense of community.

In honor of PRIDE Month, we wanted to share some noteworthy resources and organizations that we found throughout the month of June that are doing wonderful work in our communities to support LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Some of these organizations include the Asian Pride Project, which offers an online platform for sharing stories and experiences with family and friends. The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) serves as a network for LGBTQIA+ organizations across Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities. Additionally, Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation offers a guide to assist with the coming out process for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. PFLAG NYC API Project provides support to Asian families with LGBTQ loved ones through education, while API Equality in Los Angeles works towards LGBTQ equality and social justice. The Visibility Project is also an important resource, featuring a national portrait and video collection dedicated to Queer Asian American Women & Trans* individuals.

Please note that these resources may not be comprehensive, and are presented in alphabetical order by name. Any agencies and organizations providing support to AANHPI LGBTQIA+ communities and wishing to be included in our ‘Ohana Center of Excellence are encouraged to contact us.

As a resource center, the AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence provides access to resources and information on this website. Inclusion in an AANHPI CoE resource database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by AANHPI CoE.

In addition, we recognize that this resource collection may not be exhaustive, and users are advised not to rely solely on it. The AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence does not claim to be the authority on any resources we provide, and we highly recommend consulting with elders, community leaders, or helping professionals who are knowledgeable about AANHPI cultures and experiences to ensure alignment with specific ethnic or cultural needs when seeking resources.

Narrow your search by: All Asian American Bay Area HIV/AIDS Hawaii Mahu Mapu Maia Maui relief efforts Native Hawaiian New York City PRIDE Pacific Islander QTPI Samoan University of Hawaii coming out culture downloadable equality gender affirming care gender identity gender minorities harm reduction health data healthcare inclusivity nonprofit queer spaces report social justice storytelling therapy transgender youth
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Resources for LGBTQIA+ AANHPI Communities

Webinar on Māhū Love: Lifestyles, Love, & Relationships

mahu love relationships lifestyle

Pouhana O Nā Wāhine: Māhū Webinars
Presented by Kekoa Rosa, TTA

Session 2: Māhū Love

Lifestyles, love, and relationships.

Wednesday, July 17, 10:00am – 11:30am.

Join us for a Kūkākūkā styled presentation on the lifestyles, love, and relationships of māhū.

Registration is required.

Please register at to attend or email [email protected] for a recording of the webinar if you are unable to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

LEARN MORE HERE

Webinar on Māhū Identity: Protect. Heal. Change.

Pouhana O Nā Wāhine: Māhū Webinars
Presented by Kekoa Rosa, TTA

Session 1: Māhū Identity
Protect. Heal. Change.
Monday July 8, 10:00am – 11:30am.
Join us for a presentation on the unique identity of mãhū, and building better approaches to understanding their experiences.

Registration is required.

Please register at to attend or email [email protected] for a recording of the webinar if you are unable to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

LEARN MORE HERE

Webinar on Māhū Love: Lifestyles, Love, & Relationships

mahu love relationships lifestyle

Pouhana O Nā Wāhine: Māhū Webinars
Presented by Kekoa Rosa, TTA

Session 2: Māhū Love

Lifestyles, love, and relationships.

Wednesday, July 17, 10:00am – 11:30am.

Join us for a Kūkākūkā styled presentation on the lifestyles, love, and relationships of māhū.

Registration is required.

Please register at to attend or email [email protected] for a recording of the webinar if you are unable to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

LEARN MORE HERE

Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging for Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI)

June 18 Workshop: Spotlight on QTPI

In this free online webinar, Raynald Samoa, MD will lead a discussion on the intersectional identity of Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI) and the layered oppression this community faces as well as opportunities to address systemic barriers that disenfranchise QTPI.

What will participants learn?

  • Introduce Terminology pertinent to QTPI equity as well as QTPI Indigenous Identities.
  • Examine disparities and upstream inequities experienced by QTPI
  • Discuss community led efforts to promote policy and systemic change to improve the lives of QTPI

Who is this for?

  • This talk is specifically designed to assist NH/PI advocacy organizations better advocate for NH/PI subgroups such as QTPI.

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Dr. Raynald Samoa, who was born and raised on Oahu, is an Associate Professor at the City of Hope in the Dept of Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism. His pronouns are He/His. He is a graduate from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He completed his residency and fellowship training at USC Los Angeles County General Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He currently works with patients with cancer to address the short and long term endocrine effects of cancer and cancer treatments.

Dr. Samoa addressed the U.S. House of Representatives House and Ways Committee in 2020 to report on the disproportionate burden of communities of color during the pandemic and currently serves on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and is the Co-Chair of the Data Disaggregation and Education Subcommittee. Dr. Samoa is an advocate for the equity of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) community and has published numerous articles on the topic.

In 2022, Dr. Samoa received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award (RWJF) for Health Equity. Dr. Samoa served as a technical advisor to the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI) Village and the Physician Sponsor of City of Hope LGBTQ+ Patient Care Fund.

Open Dialogue on LGBT and Pacific Islander Mental Health: Lived Experiences of a Veteran  

Come join in on the next webinar in the ‘Ohana Center of Excellence web series focused on the intersection of LGBT Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander mental health.

K Mataōtama Strohl (they/them) will be sharing their lived experiences at the intersection of being a Black, Sāmoan, Queer, Transgender, and disabled veteran with ADHD, PTSD, and substance use disorder. The presentation will focus on K’s experiences in order to educate and increase awareness for those in the LGBT, Black, Sāmoan, and veteran community as well as their providers. Dr. Lesther Papa (he/him/siya/esuna) will be hosting this open dialogue and encourages attendees to be open, curious, and ask questions to learn more about K’s experiences together.

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

In 2018, K decided to take their own life after internalizing the behavior of an unsafe workplace. After years of working in Aviation Maintenance and Human Resources (HR), K made a pivot towards work that would allow them to continue to serve others. They now work with organizations to create psychologically safe environments for people who share their identities or their lived experiences and coach individuals on how to make boundaried decisions that prioritize their mental health.

K is Black, Sāmoan, Queer ,Transgender and a disabled veteran. K lives with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a Substance Use Disorder.

Continuing Dialogue on Gender, Sexuality, and Mental Health: Afakasi Experiences

We’re continuing the dialogue on gender, sexuality, and mental health and focusing on the experiences of LGBTQ+ Afakasi! The session will feature Stanson Afoa and Li‘olemāsina “Li‘o” Pele Lubanski who will be hosted by Dr. Lesther Papa. Throughout the session, we will explore a diverse range of topics, including navigating Afakasi/Queer identity, experiences with mental health, and messages for both members and providers of the Samoan community.  

What will you learn?

Experiences navigating intersectional identities and mental health.

Who is this for?

Members of the Samoan community and providers who serve them.

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Stanson Afoa is a Content Creator on TikTok where he has curated a following of over 117,000 people. His content predominately revolves around the intersections of his identity as a queer, mixed-Samoan born and raised in Alaska. He utilizes his background in Communication Studies to inform his content style, utilizing both serious and humor-forward approaches. He has been able to use his platform to connect and create cultural conversations that have gained traction in the diaspora, in the islands of Samoa and across Oceania.

Li‘olemāsina “Li‘o” Pele Lubanski (li-oh-leh-MAH-see-nah PEH-leh loo-BAN-skee)

Li‘o’s mom is from Mālie, Sāmoa and their dad is from Fox Lake, Illinois.  Li‘o was born in Southern California and raised in Arizona where they still live. They have always wanted to know more about fa‘asāmoa especially what life was like before colonization. This led them to majoring in Asian & Pacific American Studies at Arizona State University where they were the first to graduate with that degree in 2014.

They are an alumnus of the 6th cohort of Pacific Islander Leaders for Tomorrow (PILOT) through Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) and was asked to return as a Mana Mentor for the 10th cohort. They currently serve as Community Organizer for Arizona Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders for Equity (AZ AANHPI For Equity) and as board member and secretary for Island Liaison.

Li‘o is trans nonbinary (culturally fa‘atama), queer, ADHD, and Autistic and has always advocated for underrepresented people like them. They believe taking into account a person’s whole identity and understanding cultural history are keys to uplifting one another in community. This shows up in their Community Organizer work facilitating healing circles for their local Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Li‘o hosts these circles as spaces to discuss mentally and emotionally heavy topics like climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, intergenerational trauma, and more.

In their free time, Li‘o loves to draw, write, sing, and cuddle up with their partner and 3 cats.