By Cyrus Storlie
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The 12th annual Pride Asia Fest shone through an overcast and rainy day at Hing Hay Park in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). Aleksa Manila hosted the event on May 26—which was proclaimed as Pride Asia day statewide for the very first time.
The event was highlighted by performances from some staples of Seattle’s Asian drag community. Soon to be University of Washington Law school graduate, Dutchess Drew, gave the keynote speech, challenging the ways gender and sex are viewed in the eyes of the law.
Manila (left) introducing Drew (right) to deliver the keynote address. (Photo by Cyrus Storlie)
“I think just changing the mindset of what gender means,” Drew said. “Not thinking about it in a binary sense, that it’s either male or female at birth, but it’s more complex than that.”
The rights of trans youth was a common topic throughout the event. Community leaders urged action from school boards and city officials. Manila took the time in her opening remarks to ask everyone to make an impact through voting.
“In a lot of Asian countries, being gay or being queer is taboo,” Drew said, explaining the importance of pride events for the trans Asian community. “It’s not a conversation that’s really had. I didn’t see a whole lot of people who were Sri Lankan or Indian who did drag. So I tried to assimilate to this white drag persona.”
As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close in May and Pride month starts in June, the festival took place during the last weekend in May to represent and celebrate these communities.
Twelve years ago, Manila and other members of the queer Asian community sat in the since-closed Gossip Espresso and Tea, kitty-corner from Hing Hay Park, and decided to start something to celebrate Asian Pride in Seattle.
“It just keeps growing and growing,” Manila reflects. “It used to be where we didn’t even have a stage. Now we’ve got a nice stage for performers.”
Six students from Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness took part in a lion dance, while some performed their Kung Fu form practice as part of the opening ceremony. Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness have been performing at the festival since its inception in 2012.
Students from Northwest Kung Fu and Fitness performing a lion dance at Pride Asia Fest opening ceremony. (Photo by Cyrus Storlie)
Just west of the main stage, representatives from PFlag, Gen Pride, Pride survey, Historic South Downtown, Qlaw, Utopia, and Lambert House set up tables to talk to the community.
Pride survey is designed to gather health-related information for anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ or two-spirit. Its goal is to gain a better understanding of the health needs of the queer community in Seattle. Representatives from Qlaw delivered a compelling speech on the importance of legal representation for the queer community, not just to help battle injustice but also to navigate the prideful moments such as a name or gender change and adoption.
The festival came to a close with a performance from local star Kylie Mooncakes. Organizers of the event took to the stage to thank everyone for coming and repeat messages of solidarity and support.
“Treat us, interact with us, love us as if we were your family member, as if we were your mother, your father, your parents, your brother, your sister, your sibling, perhaps your cousin,” Manila said, talking about how to support the trans community. “Even more so, and even deeper than that, could you look at us the way you would look at yourself in the mirror?”
Gaysha Starr performs at Hing Hay Park for Pride Asia Fest on May 26, 2024. (Photo by Cyrus Storlie / UW News Lab)
Great Article! Some outstanding reporting from Cyrus!