QSEA Census Logo: tinyurl.com/qsea2010
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This past weekend from July 7-9, almost 100 LGBTQ (lesbian/ gay/ bisexual/ transgender/ queer) Southeast Asian youth, organizers and allies converged on the Twin Cities for what is widely considered to be the first national LGBTQ Southeast Asian American conference.  The Queer Southeast Asian Network (QSEA), an association of LGBTQ Southeast Asians from across the United States united to share information, build community and collectively advocate for LGBTQ Southeast Asians.  It is composed of some of the leading Southeast Asian youth organizations around the country, including: 

Shades of Yellow (St. Paul, MN)

Khmer in Action (Seattle, WA)

Freedom, Inc. (Madison, WI)

Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment and Leadership (Providence, RI)

The Conference started out with a community dinner on Friday, July 7 that included guest such as MN State Senators Scott Dibble and Patricia Torres Ray, as well as staffers from U.S. Senator Al Franken and MN State Senator Mee Moua. Saturday Sessions included discussions on coming out and identity, immigration, LGBT communities in Southeast Asia, intergenerational issues and organizational history, and gender politics.  The conference particularly focused on strategies to gather information about LGBTQ Southeast Asian Americans through the QSEA Census.  This online survey will provide critical information about the community and can be found at tinyurl.com/qsea2010

The Conference was supported by a number of local and national sponsors, including the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.  API Equality- Northern California also provided support.