by Mitchell Hang
Two worlds collided Monday when Gaysians at UMD and the Chinese Student Association held their first joint event. It was the first time the Chinese Student Association worked with an LGBTQ+ organization.
“I think that forming a strong relationship with the Chinese student community on campus will allow us to hold discussions about topics of LGBTQ+ acceptance in Asian countries such as China in future meetings,” said Maya Kang, the president and founder of Gaysians at UMD.
Lily Jin, the co-president of the Chinese Student Association, said she was excited to welcome the new organization to the community and collaborate with them for the first time.
“I think one of the best ways to understand another community is to interact with them and build meaningful connections with them,” Jin, who helped plan the event but wasn’t able to attend, said. “I hope this event will provide that opportunity to facilitate greater connection and understanding between our two communities.”
The event was the first time Gaysians at UMD worked with another organization, Kang said, since they only became a registered student organization on Nov. 11. The event at the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center was meant to provide a space for members inside and outside the Chinese and Asian LGBTQ+ community to hang out.
About 30 students, including non-Asian people, attended the event. They shared experiences over games including Uno, Cards Against Humanity, Catan and Bananagrams. Some played Quiplash 3, an online game where players respond to prompts and audience members vote for the funniest answer.
Jin said that inclusion the Chinese Students Association is accepting of LGBTQ+ students.
“We have not had any issues with students not feeling welcome, and I hope that as a leader, we have made our space inclusive,” Jin said.
Attendees didn’t discuss the policies of Asian countries like China towards LGBTQ+ people, where they face many more legal and social challenges than in the U.S. Jin said that the Asian-American experience is not necessarily reflective of those living in China.
“At least within my circles, global politics doesn’t have too much of an impact on our discourse,” Jin said. “Issues with the U.S. are talked about more, but if something major does happen overseas, we may discuss it as well.”
Overall, organizers and attendees alike saw the event as a success because it helped bring conversations about Asian-American LGBTQ+ identities to the forefront — and provided a space to make new friends.
Jeremy Kiggundu, a sophomore electrical engineering major, took pictures and played card games with some of the other people who also attended. Kiggundu, who is Black, serves as the Chinese Student Association’s historian and said he loved the opportunity to meet new people.
“I do wish that more people attended and that the event was held in a different room, however,” she added.
Vivian Chen, a junior computer science major, attended the event but said she left 15 minutes early because she had an assignment to finish before midnight.
“[The event] was a bit sparse,” Chen said. [It] didn’t feel like a lot of people showed up, and those that did mostly kept to people they know.”
Jin couldn’t attend the event and said the event could have been better organized.
“I think we could have done better with marketing it so more members were aware of it,” Jin said. “I think the timing is also important. Since this was held [on] the Monday before break, it is likely that many students had already went home or were busy.”
Despite that, the event was simply a way for many people, both inside and outside the Chinese and Asian LGBTQ+ community to gather and socialize while playing some new and familiar games.
“I thought the atmosphere was pleasant and pretty low-key,” said Mars Tamara, a senior psychology major and half-Indonesian. “I did meet two new people and we talked about music.”
Featured image: Attendees from the Gaysians at UMD and Chinese Student association smile into the camera. Photo by Mitchell Hang,