Happy Pride Month!

We are committed to making Middle Tennessee a place where Asian and Pacific Islanders are connected and thriving. This means fighting for the inclusion and safety of all our community members of every sexual orientation and gender identity. Here are some facts to know about the API LGBTQ+ community:

• There are over 685,000 API LGBTQ+ adults in the United States (UCLA Williams Institute, 2021)

• API LGBTQ+ adults have higher rates of unemployment, lower levels of income, and struggle with food insecurity (UCLA Williams Institute, 2021)

• 54% of API LGBTQ+ youth reported discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year (Trevor Project, 2022)

• API LGBTQ youth who have social support from friends attempted suicide at lower rates compared to AAPI LGBTQ youth without this support (Trevor Project, 2022)

Here is a list of some different resources and upcoming events for Pride Month:

National Resources

• UCLA Williams Institute Report

• Trevor Project Report on AAPI LGBTQ+ Youth

• The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance Pacific Islander Alliance

• Asian Mental Health Collective

Local Resources

• Tennessee Pride Chamber

• Oasis Center

• Inclusion TN

• Nashville Launch Pad

• Middle Tennessee Transgender Alliance

• Tennessee Equality Project

Upcoming Events

• June 1: Franklin Pride

• June 20: Nashville Pride Kickoff

• June 22-23: Nashville Pride

  • We'll be in the parade on June 22!

• June 22-23: International Market Pride Dinner

We'll keep this list updated so be sure to check back! If you know a resource/event that should be on this list, email joseph@apimidtn.org.

2024 Nashville AAPI Writers Showcase

May 19th was the second annual Nashville AAPI Writers Showcase at The Forge! Co-sponsored by The Porch Writers' Collective and API Middle Tennessee, and MC'd by Cortney Warner, featured work from local Asian and Pacific Islander writers.

Here are a few photos from the night:

Unspoken; Nashville

Unspoken; Nashville, was a collaborative project from Breaking Wave Theatre Company and API Middle Tennessee that was funded by Metro Arts Nashville. The project brought local Asian and Pacific Islander community members to write around mental health. These pieces were then presented at The Barber Shop Theater on May 11th, 2024. Here are a few pictures from the reading

We are grateful for all the participants who were vulnerable enough to share the stories, the community members that came to hear those stories, and Breaking Wave Theatre Company for helping bring those stories to life.