The New York City Lunar New Year Parade on February 20 included a “Lunar New Year for All LGBT” contingent featuring individuals from the group known as GAPIMNY — Empowering Queer & Trans Asian Pacific Islanders.
Members of GAPIMNY — which was founded in 1990 and works to “empower queer and trans Asian Pacific Islanders to create positive change” — marched together with the organization’s banner in hand. Marchers stepped off at Hester Street and Mott Street and proceeded through the streets of Manhattan during the city’s 24th annual Lunar Near Year Parade.
Ryan Shen, Michael Chen, Pauline Park, and Bryan Joon carried GAPIMNY banner, while “API Rainbow Parents” and Q-Wave members joined GAPIMNY members in the contingent.
According to Park, the contingent made history 12 years ago when it became the first LGBTQ group in the city’s Lunar New Year Parade. Other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, already included queer groups by that point.
The work of GAPIMNY extends to political, social, educational, and cultural programming, according to the organization’s website. Members work in coalition with other community organizations on issues of race, sexuality, gender, and health.
