By Densil Porteous, Executive Director, Stonewall Columbus
Each May, communities uplift Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the deep cultural legacies, ongoing contributions, and vibrant diversity within AANHPI communities.
At Stonewall Columbus, we know that our strength as an LGBTQ+ organization lies in our community’s rich intersectionality. That includes AANHPI LGBTQ+ people—whose experiences, histories, and leadership have too often been overlooked or erased, both within the broader AANHPI narrative and within the LGBTQ+ movement itself.
This month, we affirm: AANHPI voices are LGBTQ+ voices. AANHPI rights are LGBTQ+ rights.
We reflect on the cultural strength of families that hold complexity and tradition. We honor the queer and trans elders who navigated cultural stigma and systemic racism in silence so future generations could live more freely. We celebrate queer AANHPI creators, thinkers, and community builders who are redefining what liberation looks like today. We are thankful for the AANHPI leaders who have given of their time and talent to help guide this organization over the years.
But AANHPI Heritage Month isn’t just about celebration—it’s about commitment.
We must actively work to dismantle the harmful stereotypes, anti-Asian racism, and xenophobia that have surged in recent years and that continue to impact AANHPI people both inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community. We must also make room for nuanced and diverse stories: Southeast Asian and South Asian. Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian. Immigrant and U.S.-born. Elders and youth. Queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, and more.
This May, Stonewall Columbus is recommitting to intentional inclusion—by listening more deeply, platforming more boldly, and expanding who we mean when we say “community.”
To our AANHPI LGBTQ+ family:
We see you.
We celebrate you.
We are grateful for the ways you shape, enrich, and lead this movement.
Happy AANHPI Heritage Month!
