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A Growing Show of Pride: Record Asian American presence at parade reflects a growing acceptance
BY STACY LAVILLA
About 500 Asians and Asian Americans--the largest contingent ever--proudly celebrated their gay identity with hundreds of other marchers this Sunday in San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade.
This year's parade, which drew some 200,000 onlookers of all races, capped off a weekend of events dedicated to gay pride, including many for gay Asian Americans.
On Saturday, many Asian Americans participated in the first-ever U.S. Chinese Tongzhi Conference, in which Bay Area residents and visitors from China convened for a three-day conference to discuss issues facing gay Asians in America and China.
Despite record-breaking numbers, Sunday's presence of gay Asian Americans was not as novel as in years past. Asian Americans said the parade served more to reinforce their presence than to seek acceptance within the larger gay community.
Though that acceptance may have already been achieved on one front, gay Asian Americans are still seeking acceptance from a much more difficult segment--their own ethnic communities.
"We could use more support and understanding from the Asian American community; that need is really, really frustrating sometimes," said Alex Louie, co-chair of Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA). "We're not understood or accepted."
The national organization, founded to empower and further the interests of gays and lesbians of Asian descent, estimates that 1 in 10 Americans in the United States--including Asian Americans--is gay.
GAPA, which marched alongside an oversized birthday cake float marking its 10th anniversary, brought in the largest number of Asian American participants with nearly 200 of its members marching, despite a string of technical difficulties that left many participants dancing in the absence of music.
To gain acceptance within Asian American communities, GAPA is taking a lower-key approach, including participation in cultural parades, and working within and through their own families.
Some five years ago, GAPA began participating in the annual Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco Chinatown. "It really was a groundbreaking event for GAPA and our API community," Co-Chair Eric Herbas said.
"In the Chinese community, they're very conservative, and it's still taboo to talk about it. When we were invited four years ago, it was a risk for [GAPA] ......