By Myron Dean Quon
From InformAsian, GAPSN monthly newsletter, March, 2000

In January, GAPSN was invited to a select dinner meeting with the Executive Committee members of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. This NCAPA committee consists of the executive directors of Organization of Chinese Americans, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Japanese American Citizens League, Asian American Institute, India Abroad Center for Political Awareness, Korean American Coalition, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, National Federation of Filipino American Associations, National Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.

Committee members listened with interest and learned about GAPSN's role in fighting the petition drive to qualify the so-called "California Defense of Sexual Responsibility Act" - a proposed ballot initiative that would prevent state agencies from using the words "sexual orientation," as well as GAPSN's work to defeat Prop. 22, the anti-marriage initiative for the California primary in March. GAPSN explained how anti-gay initiatives like CDSRA and anti-marriage recognition initiatives like Prop. 22 are being promoted by the same backers of past anti-immigrant and racist initiatives such as Prop. 187, Prop. 209, and Prop. 227. Additionally, GAPSN highlighted that this particular battle in Southern California is being fought out throughout the country, through similar initiatives or proposed legislation. In the end, GAPSN asked that each organizational member of NCAPA recognize that their advocacy to protect the rights of their immigrant or limited-English members also should extend to their lesbian and gay members.

I was very pleased to note the respectful attention paid to our presentation. Further, many of the attendees of the meeting wanted additional copies of the recent AsianWeek article that describes GAPSN's work within the Korean American community to combat the Christian Coalition's outreach to the faith-based Korean population in Los Angeles. In the near future, I look forward to reporting on further inroads with these national API advocacy organizations.