June Chan
| June Chan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 6, 1956 Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Activist, biologist |
June Chan (born June 6, 1956) is an Asian-American lesbian activist and biologist. The organizer and co-founder of the Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC), Chan raised awareness for LGBT issues relating to the Asian-American community.
Biography
Chan was born on June 6, 1956, in Lower Manhattan to parents who worked in New York City's Chinatown.[1] Chan's mother was a refugee from China and the Japanese invasion of China.[2] Chan's activism had its roots in her childhood, remembering tourists displaying racist attitudes to people in Chinatown.[1] Chan attended the Bronx High School of Science and graduated in 1973.[1] She went on to earn her bachelor's degree in biology at the City College of New York in 1977.[1] Chan earned her master's degree in biology from the State University of Buffalo.[1] After graduate school, she came out to her family, which was a mostly positive experience.[1] Chan also works in research on neurobiology.[1]
Chan and Katherine Hall met in 1983 and began working on projects together. They created a slide show of Asian lesbians in history and literature which were shown in the 1980s.[3] Their Asian lesbian history slide show was considered "grassroots scholarship" by Polly Thistlethwaite.[4] The slide show gave lesbians "a larger context for ourselves as Asian and Pacific Islander peoples, as people of color in the United States, and as lesbians."[5]
Also in 1983, Chan and Hall formed the Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC).[1] The group was formed in response to the overly white and male LGBT community at the time and provided a place for support for lesbians.[1] ALOEC conducted workshops and published newsletters.[5] ALOEC took part in the 1989 LGBT march on Washington, D.C., demanding civil rights.[2] During the process of organizing the march, Chan connected with other Asian-American lesbian groups.[2] These groups and ALOEC formed the Asian Pacific Lesbian Network (later called the Asian Pacific Bi-Sexual Lesbian Network).[2] In 1994, ALOEC participated in the 25th commemoration of the Stonewall riots.[2]
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Henry 1995, p. 32.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Henry 1995, p. 33.
- ↑ Carmichael, Jr., James Vinson (1998). Daring to Find Our Names: The Search for Lesbigay Library History. Praeger. p. 162. ISBN 978-0313299636.
- ↑ Thistlethwaite 1998, p. 3.
- 1 2 Wilkinson, Willie. "Out, Loud, and Seen: The Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Movement Past and Present". Women Artists of the American West. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
Sources
- Henry, Jim (1995). "June Chan". In Zia, Helen; Gall, Susan B. Notable Asian Americans. Gale Research, Inc. ISBN 9780810396234.
- Thistlethwaite, Polly (1998). An Activist's Guide to Lesbian History: A Companion to the Video Not Just Passing Through. CUNY Academic Works.
External links
- Mariana combing June's Hair (picture)