People of all generations and backgrounds are invited to the “South Bay Stories: A Nikkei LGBTQ Forum for Everyone” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute. Attendees can learn about gender, sexuality and LGBTQ (lesbian-gay-bisexual-trangender-queer) stories in the Japanese American community.
People of all generations and backgrounds are invited to the “South Bay Stories: A Nikkei LGBTQ Forum for Everyone” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute. Attendees can learn about gender, sexuality and LGBTQ (lesbian-gay-bisexual-trangender-queer) stories in the Japanese American community.
The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute, the South Bay JACL chapter, the Greater Los Angeles chapter, and the Torrance JACL chapter are thrilled to co-sponsor this event with the Japanese American Citizens League-Pacific Southwest District. As part of the PSW’s Nikkei LGBTQ Initiative, this will be a welcoming and educational panel event for anyone with any questions, curiosities, and a desire to find community or opportunity learn how to be a more supportive ally.
The panel of community members will speak to their individual experiences of navigating LGBTQ issues in the Nikkei community, as well as their hopes for LGBTQ inclusion and awareness in the future.
The dynamic panelists are:
· Janet Uradomo lives in Torrance, and is a proud mother of an 8-year-old transgender daughter. With the support of her husband, David, they have recently fully accepted their child as their daughter. Janet shares their journey of how they went from everything just “being a phase” to recently going from private to public school and the importance of support and acceptance at any age. Their story is a beautiful example of unconditional love.
· Melvin Fujikawa is a spiritual director and voice coach who lives in Torrance, and has served as the former senior pastor at the Christian Layman Church in Oakland, CA, as well as the worship and community life pastor at the Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles in Rosemead, CA. Melvin and his partner, Mark, are active members of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.
· Traci Kato-Kiriyamais a nationally-touring writer/actor/multi-platform artist/educator/organizer, living in Gardena. She is half of the award-winning PULLproject ensemble, whose show, PULL: Tales of Obsession, has toured from Los Angeles to Toronto and recently appeared in East West Player's 2-person site-specific show, Our American Voice. She is the organizer of the Generations Of War oral history and peace education project and Director/Co-Founder of Tuesday Night Project – which opened it's 16th season of "Tuesday Night Cafe," acknowledged in L.A. Weekly's Best of L.A. 2013 list as "Best Free Downtown Performance Series."
Additionally, Diane Ujiiye will moderate. She isthe out-going Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN). She is a member of Gardena Valley Baptist Church and serves as women’s group facilitator and on the Neighborhood Ministry team; and serves as vice-chair for AAPI-Christian’s for Social Justice.
The organizers of the event hope that attendees will learn something new and be moved from the engaging stories of the panelists. This event is completely free and open to the public with refreshments provided during the reception.
For more information, contact Program Coordinator, Traci Ishigo at tishigo@jaclpsw.orgor 213-626-4471. The GVJCI is at 1964 W. 162nd St., Gardena.
