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2023 Community Conversations- FREE to the public!
Celebrating the Stories of our LGBTQ+
Asian American Pacific Islander
Community
Saturday, March 11th
11:00 AM
Denver Sie Center House 1
2510 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206
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About the Panel
Join us for a discussion with our panelists as we elevate the voices of our diverse AAPI communities. Colorado Dragon Boat will host “Celebrating the Stories of Our LGBTQ+ Asian American Pacific Islander Community,” a community conversation highlighting the intersectional identities, multifaceted experiences, and valuable contributions of members of Colorado’s queer AAPI community.
Meet our Moderator & Panelists
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Meet our Moderator Marin Lepore is a screenwriter, director, and activist who grew up in Colorado, and lived in Beijing from age ten to sixteen. Now back in Denver, she currently works as a writer and producer at the film production company, Listen Productions. Falling within these groups herself, Marin is passionate about creating inclusive films that celebrate women, POC, and LGBTQ people. Her work often explores the intersections of these identities through the lens of comedy, romance, both, or neither — most notably, her coming-of-age web-series I Put the Bi in Bitter. Her films have screened at festivals across the country including SeriesFest, ClexaCon, and Denver Pride. She previously served as a board member for Women in Film and Media Colorado, and she was part of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force at the University of Colorado Denver, where she graduated with a BFA in Film & Television. Besides film, Marin cares about her fellow adoptee community, and currently volunteers with Adopteen. She also enjoys juggling, board games, playing violin, and collecting turtle figurines. |
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Meet our Panelist Stacey Shigaya is a third generation Japanese American, born and raised in Denver, CO. She is Executive Director for Sakura Foundation, the parent organization to Sakura Square LLC for which she is Executive Advisor. The Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and share Japanese and Japanese American heritage and culture in order to create a more compassionate, resilient, and equitable society. She holds a BA in Human Development and Learning and an MS in Counseling and Personnel Services, volunteers for Okaeri (a community space based in LA for LGBTQ+ Japanese/Japanese Americans and allies), and serves on the Denver Women’s Commission. As the daughter of WWII concentration camp internees and the mother of two adult children (one pansexual, one straight), Stacey strongly believes in standing up for those who experience discrimination and feels that sharing our unique stories will bring us closer together and build a more compassionate community. |
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Meet our Panelist Jordan Blisk (he/him) is an Associate Director at the American Constitution Society. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Colorado Name Change Project. Jordan received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University and was the first out transgender student to earn a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School, later becoming the first out transgender president to lead the Colorado LGBT Bar Association in 2022. Prior to joining ACS, Jordan was an associate attorney specializing in family law and estate planning, and before his legal career, he served in the US Air Force. In 2021, the National LGBT Bar Association named him as one of the "40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40". In 2022, he received the Stonewall Award from the American Bar Association for his work advancing LGBTQ+ individuals and causes in the legal profession. |
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Meet our Panelist Nishant Upadhyay (they/them) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. They teach in the areas of Asian American Studies, and Queer and Trans of Color Studies. |
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Meet our Panelist
Yeong Cheng (they/them) is a DEI-focused executive and empowerment coach and founder of Denver Asian Collective, a community nonprofit focused on building and augmenting Asian capacity by creating resources for Asians and intersectionally-attentive unapologetically Asian-dominant and Asian-exclusive spaces. They have advised national Asian advocacy organizations including StopAAPIHate and Stand With Asian Americans, and will be releasing Asiancy, a storytelling program focused on reclaiming Asian agency in Asian stories, in Summer of 2023. Prior to this, Yeong worked as a tech leader, executive, and consultant, focused on market research, data, strategic partnerships, and organizational development. Most notably, they have advised startups and Fortune 100 companies on data architecture and strategy, and built (regrettable) foundational solutions enabling data capture and monetization for the likes of Facebook, Google, and Twitter. |