On March 25, 2024, the AABANY LGBT Committee organized a program with the generous support and sponsorship of Goodwin Procter LLP titled: Protecting DEI at Big Law since SCOTUS: A Queer Asian Perspective. The program featured two prominent speakers: Kavita Ramakrishnan, Senior Director at Diversity Lab and Dennis Quinio, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of the Americas at Allen & Overy. The program consisted of robust conversations about the meaning of diversity, and the personal experiences of attorneys who struggle with the complications of identity.
AABANY thanks the LGBT Committee for presenting this topical program and the speakers for sharing their insights. Thanks to Goodwin for hosting the event. To learn more about the LGBT Committee go here.
Nearly 50 members of the bar “came out” to celebrate the diversity within the LGBT, Asian American, and South Asian communities with the LGBT Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and host Linklaters LLP. A companion reception is planned for Washington DC hosted by Blank Rome LLP on Nov. 16. RSVP here.
LGBT Asian American and South Asian attorneys in corporate, commercial, government, and public interest practice gathered to build peer-support and expand their network. David Lat, Founder, Original Jurisdiction and Above the Law, shared welcoming remarks. Thank you for joining us again.
Law firm sponsorships will help “Build Back the LGBTQ+ API community Better!” in collaboration with the Asian American Federation. Two years of lockdowns, a year of anti-Asian violence, and a record number of state anti-LGBT bills, have stunted the LGBTQ Asian community’s growth. Sponsors will support a series of training workshops for the LGBTQ Asian American community. Thank you for all your support!
AABANY LGBT Committee Co-Chair Glenn Magpantay was listed on June 7, 2021 as a Notable LGBTQ Executive in Crain’s NY Business. For 30 years Glenn has supported the LGBT community and fought for the recognition of LGBTQ Asians. He says, “I am a survivor of a hate crime for being gay 20 years ago. I was a victim of a hate crime for being Asian 20 WEEKS ago! The intersectionality of our movements requires us all to stand up in solidarity, show up in allyship, and support racial justice, and LGBT equality.”
To read the full article, click here (subscription required).
Glenn D. Magpantay, a long-time civil rights attorney, advocate, and leader for Asian Pacific American (APA) and LGBTQ rights, is a 2020 recipient of the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award, NAPABA’s highest honor. Each year, outstanding lawyers are awarded for their exceptional leadership in paving the way for the advancement of other APA attorneys and creating lasting, substantial contributions in the broader APA community.
Glenn’s inspiring commitment to public service and activism started in college and continued after graduation when he was a lobbyist for higher education in the early 1990s. As one of the few Asian people working in the State Capitols at the time, Glenn learned the importance of APA and LGBTQ representation in law.
As a civil rights attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), he quickly became an authority on the federal Voting Rights Act and expert on Asian American political participation. He fought for the right of Asian Americans to vote in their native language, to put in place translated registration forms and language interpreters at poll sites, and to challenge unconstitutional voter ID requirements in many cities.
At the cornerstone of Glenn’s incredible legal work and advocacy is intersectionality. In addition to working with several law firms on pro bono projects, he has recently led two challenges that reached the U.S. Supreme Court: Hawaii v. Trump (2018), which challenged President Trump’s anti-Muslim travel ban, and DHS v. Regents of the University of California (2020), which challenged President Trump’s proposed cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
In a recent interview, Glenn reflected on how LGBTQ Asian attorneys have to navigate through a very traditional work environment where they often cannot express who they really are. In response to this, he has worked for over a decade to create a network for LGBTQ Asian attorneys to find peer support and thrive and advance in their careers. As Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Glenn highlighted the often overlooked stories of LGBTQ Asians, trained a new generation of LGBTQ activists, and cultivated a more diverse face of the LGBTQ movement. And above all, Glenn knows that he could not have done this work without AABANY.
“Ever since I went to my first AABANY event in 1988, they have given me the trust and ability to create these spaces for LGBTQ APA attorneys,” Glenn said. “AABANY is my home because I’ve always felt valued, not just as a public interest lawyer, but also — and especially — as a colorful, openly gay attorney working in the name of Asian American civil rights.”
In addition to the many doors that AABANY has opened for Glenn, he also is incredibly thankful for the support he received from several law firms, such as Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Shearman & Sterling, and Skadden Arps. “I would not have been able to uphold and protect the Voting Rights Act without some of the biggest law firms in New York helping me with issue-spotting, fact-to-rule application, and their commitment to intersectional diversity and inclusion. And I would not have been able to sue New York City for bilingual voting rights without the help of six hundred lawyers from the New York Asian American bar in monitoring polling sites and recording anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement. ”
It’s a lifetime achievement award, but I’m not ready to retire. We have come a long way, but we have not yet come far enough.
Glenn continues to teach and inspire legal minds by teaching legal studies and Asian American studies at Hunter College, Brooklyn Law School, and Columbia University, and his work is far from over.
“The goal was never for me to get an award; it was to change the profession to be more diverse and inclusive where we can achieve our fullest potential,” Glenn said. “It’s a lifetime achievement award, but I’m not ready to retire. We have come a long way, but we have not yet come far enough.”
Please join AABANY in congratulating Glenn on this well-deserved honor and recognition. NAPABA has announced on its website that the Award Ceremony will be held in December 2020. Additionally, NAPABA is honoring its awardees by featuring them on their social media accounts. To access the video on Glenn’s life and achievements, please visit the link below:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today proclaimed June 20 Edie Windsor Day in New York State as a tribute to her legacy championing equality and justice for the LGBTQ community, and for being on the front lines of the fight for marriage equality. Today would have been Edie’s 89th birthday.
“Edie was an iconic New Yorker who shaped history and taught us that love always wins,” Governor Cuomo said. “Proclaiming her birthday as Edie Windsor Day is a fitting way to salute a true New York hero whose strength, perseverance, and conviction in the face of adversity continues to inspire all of us.”
The text of the proclamation is available here and below.
Proclamation
Whereas, all New Yorkers are proud to join in honoring the life and legacy of Edie Windsor, a pioneer and icon in the LGBTQ movement who inspired New Yorkers and people around the world through her courage, leadership, and tireless commitment to ensuring equality and justice; and
Whereas, throughout her extraordinary life, Edie broke down barriers – in her professional career working with early mainframe computers, having achieved the highest technical position of Senior Systems Programmer at IBM and, through her personal drive as a powerful and fearless voice for the LGBTQ community in New York and across the nation; and
Whereas, her landmark victory in United States v. Windsor marked a watershed in the movement to secure marriage rights for same-sex couples and paved the way for nationwide marriage equality; and
Whereas, Edie’s strength, perseverance, and conviction in the face of adversity has made her a hero to all New Yorkers and an invaluable inspiration to countless others in the fight for equality; and
Whereas, June 20, 2018 marks what would have been Edie’s 89th birthday, and all New Yorkers are proud to join in honoring and remembering Edie’s extraordinary life, her legacy of groundbreaking leadership, and her lasting contributions to equality everywhere;
Now, Therefore, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby proclaim June 20, 2018 as Edie Windsor Day in the Empire State in honor of her legacy of groundbreaking achievements and indelible contributions to our great state and nation.
Given under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany on this sixteenth day of June in the year two thousand eighteen.
Please join Project by Project (PbP), and their 2016 partner, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) as they present “Coming Together: A LGBTQ Allyship Panel Workshop.” This workshop is aimed for the general public to generate awareness of the underlying issues of the AAPI LGBTQ community and how we can be better allies. Our panelists will provide a wide range of perspectives, situations and environments and ways allies can support the AAPI LGBTQ community. Topics include: a corporate perspective, a Family Acceptance Campaign called Family is Still Family, struggles of coming out and the need for allies, and other LGBTQ AAPI issues like immigration and racial justice after-Orlando.
Panelists: Shamina Singh, President at MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth Andy Marra, Communications Manager at the Arcus Foundation Glenn Magpantay, Executive Director of National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) Clara Yoon, Founder of API Rainbow Parent of PFLAG-NYC
Schedule:
6:30pm-7pm | Welcome and Registration
7pm-8:15pm | Panel workshop discussion
8:15pm-8:30pm | Audience Q&A
8:30pm-9pm | Refreshments and Networking
This year, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) and Project By Project (PbP) are partnering to develop both organizations by leveraging their combined experiences, knowledge and skills. NQAPIA is dedicated toward building a world where all Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders are fully accepted in their homes, families, places of work, places of worship and community regardless of their sexual orientation or gender-identity. PbP is an organization of professionals from a range of industries that uses its members to develop innovative solutions and apply them to serve non-profits in our local communities. Furthermore, training its members to be leaders within the AAPI community.
Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVP on EventBrite is required. Seats are limited.
This workshop is free to the public but a suggested donation of $5 or more is appreciated. Please make your donation at: http://projectbyproject.org/donation-2/
Thank you for your support!
WHEN: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT) –
We are happy to partner with the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) in presenting the following film! To take advantage of AABANY’s 25% discount rate for any film showing at AAIFF (excluding the Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Night films), go to http://aaiff.org/2016/schedule and enter the promo code AABANYaaiff16 after you’ve added your desired ticket(s) to your Shopping Cart.
AAIFF is the first and longest running festival in the country devoted to films by and about Asians and Asian Americans. This year, AAIFF will run from July 21 through July 30, 2016. Please visit http://aaiff.org/2016 for more information.
LGBTQ Shorts Program + Q&A | 1:00pm, Sun., July 24 | Village East Cinema, 181-189 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
This short film program explores the many ways that the LGBTQ and Asian American communities intersect. Some highlights include a lesbian Chinese daughter arguing with her mother about legalizing gay marriage in Ballot and a transgendered, adopted activist returning to her native Korea in Coming Full Circle.
Join Project by Project (PbP) at the first LGBTQ art museum in the world for an evening of art and aperitifs!
Every year, Project by Project champions a theme within the Asian American population, themes that often have been undermined or hidden from the mainstream spotlight. This year we’re focusing our efforts to increase awareness of LGBTQ issues in the community.
In support of our theme, Project by Project will be hosting an event at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art located in Soho to introduce our partner and the work we will be doing together this year. Come enjoy great conversation over your drink of choice and enjoy the artwork on display!
The event is open to the public, business casual attire is recommended.
Your ticket will grant you:
after hours admission to the museum
open bar/cocktail hour during the event
hors d’oeuvres and various appetizers
All proceeds will go to charity.
*Due to the nature of the gallery, there may be graphic or explicit content. Visitor discretion advised.*
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) stands with the LGBTQ community after an unconscionable attack this weekend at an Orlando nightclub — which also serves as a community center and safe haven for the local LGBTQ population — left approximately 50 people dead and over 50 people injured.
NAPABA stands against violence and hate, and today, we stand in solidarity with Orlando and the LGBTQ community. All people should be able to live their lives without the fear of being targeted because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of approximately 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.
NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
