Come learn about exciting LGBT organizing efforts in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan! Meet New York participants from the very first La La (lesbian and bi women) Organizer Training Camp, who will share recent victories, highlights and challenges facing queer Chinese activists from a wide range of experiences and geographical regions.

Date: Thursday August 23, 2007
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Place: Astraea Offices 116 East 16th Street, 7th Floor 212.529.8021
N R 4 5 6 trains to Union Square

ABOUT LA LA CAMP: On July 13 , 2007, close to one hundred lesbians, bisexual women and trans activists from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States gathered together in the beautiful city of Zhuhai for the first ever multi-region Chinese La La Organizer Training Camp. The four day gathering included leadership trainings, networking and community building for participants from more than 20 cities/towns and from 40 different local LBT groups– some of whom traveled by train and bus for hundreds of miles. Attendees ranged from freshmen in college to long-time activists in their fifties and sixties.

This Training Camp brought together activists from different sectors of the queer movement in combining theory and practice. There was a focus on the intersections of social policy, human rights, international collaboration, gender theory and community building. The goal was to provide this new generation of Chinese-speaking activists a stepping stone with a full range of human and informational resources. Training courses included topics such as:

• local movement history and recent experience
• self-affirmation
• family relationships
• gender identity continuum
• cultural activities and their social impact
• working with media
• law and public policy
• models and strategies and their local/historical context
• building communities
• sustaining a local group
• fund seeking and proposal writing
• organizational development
• network building and mobilization
• sexuality

Training Camp participants were able to share local accomplishments and challenges and improve their understanding of the unique conditions of each area, bringing groups closer together.

The La La Camp hosting committee was diverse in terms of location and experience. The six groups included Astraea grantee partners: Beijing Common Language, Gender and Sexuality Rights of Taiwan, Women Coalition of HKSAR, as well as New York Institute for Tongzhi Studies, New York’s Q-wave and Lavender Phoenix in U.S.

The La La Camp idea originated at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice Giving and Activism Retreat, in November of 2006. After the culmination of seven months of cross regional planning, the first annual La La Camp was a resounding success!

Questions or more information:
meanirene@gmail.com
yy@tongzhistudies.org
mai@tongzhistudies.org