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"Pride & Heritage 2005" Awards Honor John Tinpe and NAPAWF

Washington D.C. – John Tinpe, a prominent local activist, and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) will be honored for their contributions to the Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) communities on Saturday, May 21, 2005 by a group of A/PI LGBTQ organizations in the D.C. metropolitan area. The awards ceremony will take place at Cada Vez (1438 U Street NW) Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m.

The awards ceremony is the culmination of "Pride and Heritage 2005," a series of cultural events in May that builds community for Asian/Pacific Islander LGBTQ persons and their allies in the D.C. metropolitan area. Organizers for the event say they are shifting from a more cultural celebration to an awards dinner because it is important for the A/PI LGBTQ community to honor those who have made significant contributions towards the visibility of the community and of their issues.

Ben de Guzman, Pride and Heritage Planning Committee member, pointed out the importance of celebrating those achievements, "May, as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, is the perfect time to recognize and thank individuals and organizations that have worked tirelessly for our issues. Pride and Heritage is our opportunity to reaffirm LGBT communities and contributions as part of the broader tapestry of Asian Pacific America."

"In celebrating the works of John Tinpe and of NAPAWF, we're emphasizing all the great work done within and for our communities," said Rebecca Sawyer, Pride and Heritage Committee member and co-Chair of Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Sisters, one of Pride and Heritage's convening organizations. "In the past year, we've made tremendous achievements in areas such as media portrayals of A/PI LGBTs and marriage equality."

John Tinpe has been an active supporter of A/PI and LGBTQ communities. He is currently the Chair of Mayor Williams' Advisory Commission on Asian/Pacific Islander Affairs and is also active in the D.C. Democratic Party. An accomplished entrepreneur, he often supports local community events. The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. with chapters around the country whose mission "is to build an Asian Pacific American women's movement among those who believe in advancing social justice, and addressing the concerns and increasing the rights of APA women and girls." They are one of the few national A/PI organizations to support queer issues including marriage equality. Locally, NAPAWF's D.C. chapter convenes a lesbian/bisexual/transgender task force that does programming to raise awareness around queer issues in the A/PI community.

For more information on the events, or for sponsorship information, e-mail dcprideandheritage@gmail.com, or visit the website www.dcprideandheritage.org

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