From the Chair

Dear fellow Tongzhis:

On Feb 17, CRA board held its retreat with 100% board members in attendance. among other topics, we discussed and planned many activities for this year. One of them is raps, with our first rap on Sunday April 15. (Please save that date on your calendar now.) This rap will have 2 interesting and relevant topics, and be in English. The following one willl be in Mandarin, so all groups will feel very comfortable in expressing themselves. Please come to these well-planned rap session, as they are very useful in helping to understand our feelings, our hangups (if any), and they often enpower ourselves. They can raise our self-esteem and confidence as well-adjusted, proud gay or bi Asian men.

Our February dining-out social in the best vegetarian restaurant was a success. In spite of the longest-lasting rain, 30 guests showed up. Two tables actually got too crowded! We had a sumptuous "Buddhist's Feast" for a very reasonable bill. Two new guests were so impressed that they paid their membership dues on the spot!. (Hey, you guys, please don't forget to renew your membership for this year, if you haven't already done so. See the membership renewal form elsewhere in this newsletter,)

We are always looking out for new locations to host our social and other functions. If you have a place or know of one, please contact any of our board members and let them know. It doesn’t have to be very big. Good location and easy parking should really help. Thank you.

See you at our March social and April rap.

Respectfully,

Andre' T.

CHINESE AMERICAN WRITER RELEASES NEW BOOK

An Evening of Fiction. Poetry, and Friends

On Feb 2, I went to an evening of reading of short stories and poems: "Phoenix Eyes and Other Stories." Several Asian writers read from their published work or books. At least two of them are gay. The main presenter (a friend of mine) Russell Leong, an American-born Chinese organized this event with the cooperation of UCLA, Japanese American Cultural and community Center, and PEN Center USA West. For me it was such an enjoyable evening, a true alternative to the typical gay club scene, gaudy drag shows, and shallow WeHo clone culture.

I can't write a critique of the materials of the evening, as I am not a writer. I did noticed that the audience was composed of mostly mainstream Asian Americans. However, the introduction was done by a gay person, a co-founder of APAIT, and the person who made the beautiful place available is Robert, who attends our CRA social functions regularly.

I especially enjoyed the poems by Napoleon Lustre, a tall good-looking Filipino, who read short poems that clearly identify himself as a gay poet. Russell Leong read from his newly published book "Phoenix Eyes." He is an award-winning writer and poet. He teaches at UCLA, and is also the editor of AmerAsia Journal. He travels extensively in Asia and has lived in locales like Taipei and Hong Kong. His work has been translated and published in Shanghai, Taipei, and the U.S.

Several times during the reading, I was so moved by the beautiful poems and prose that I cried. I could truly relate to them.

Right now I am enjoying reading Russell's tales of living as a bi or gay man in the U.S., Taiwan and other places, or just as a man. His extensive experiences, knowledge, and sensitivity impress me profoundly.

If you come across his new book "Phoenix Eyes" in the bookstore, be sure to pick up a copy. when you peruse his stories, you too will be entertained, intrigued, and impressed!

WHY DID I COME TO LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (PART 2)

Andre' T.

Why didn't I stay in Austin, with all my schoolmates, buddies, and newly-met "sister"? Well, Myrna (that was a term used to address a sister in jest in that area), I think two occurrences probably played the most important roles. I tried to find gay literature. Before that time, there had been nothing, not even in the University library. Every movie with a gay character showed a tragic ending. One day, I found a gay newspaper; it was quite a revelation. I read the paper from page 1 to the last, every article, every ad, and every word. I searched for the publication office location and it said Los Angeles, a city known for crazy drivers, earthquakes, smog, crime, and other unpleasant oddities. No matter, I decided to come to this Mecca, this wonderful place where such a positive publication was thriving proudly. Till these days, I still have clippings from the early issues of "The Advocate." It was a down-to-earth local community-oriented newspaper then, not the glossy national magazine of today.

The gay disco I worked in was called "The Pearl Street Warehouse," catering to young gay men. A lesbian couple were the owners. One of them, Marie, was so butch that she could throw unruly customers out of her premise herself, that is, she didn't need any bouncer. One day I asked where she was from. She answered, "Some place in California which you wouldn't know." I pressed further. She said, "Orange County." That was the first time I heard of such a strange place, not a big city, not a community, but a COUNTY! Of course, she didn't warn me about the "Orange Curtain," nor the right-wing Republicans and bigots living in this conservative "bedroom community." An ex-roommate in college had come to live in Costa Mesa. I liked him, a smart straight young man.

So when I finished school, I quit my job at the gay disco, bought a better car, and packed everything and headed West. I drive with a gay ex-schoolmate all the way to gay San Francisco. I visited my brother in Sacramento, and drove south to become an "Orange County queen." Now I still work in O.C., but my social and community activities are in L.A. County.