Pride Lunar New Year brings in a new era for queer and Asian creatives

To celebrate the Lunar New Year during Pride Month, Auckland group All My Friends organised Lychee Baybee, a concept party and a platform for queer and Asian creatives.

Co-organiser Tommy Jiang said it was unusual to see Asian-led events during Pride Festival, and he hoped Lychee Baybee would change that.

“Even just the event existing as a concept is enough to accelerate or help people find a bit more acceptance.”

Kevin Shen, co-organiser, wanted it to be “a place to have fun without all the aggressions, the assault, the verbal abuse and even racism.

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“Just a place where you can have fun without fear of anything,” Shen said.

The event was the product of an Asian and Pacific-led group called All My Friends. Co-organiser Tyrun Posimani said that the history of Pasifika and Asian immigrants tended to be ignored, adding that “both sides are aware of the racial stereotypes that exist and what we’re doing is showcasing that our stories do have common ground.”

Jiang said he felt that the queer nightlife on Karangahape Road was increasingly catering to straight folks. All My Friends was a response to create more inclusive nightlife spaces and also give “creatives who usually don’t get the chance to work on bigger projects to get involved”.

“If you’re a first time DJ or if you’ve been practising at home, getting into a club night situation is actually quite an important thing.”

Lychee Baybee had a full Asian DJ lineup, most of whom identify as part of or strong allies to the queer community, which Jiang thinks is great but also “so late”.

DJ Abbey Gamit said she has felt the pressure to “keep [her] head down”, as an Asian creative. Lychee Baybee was a space where she felt her taste could be trusted.

“There’s not a lot of places that would want to hear K-pop,” for instance, she said.

Playing at events like Lychee Baybee “builds my confidence to push the boundaries in more general spaces”.

Lara Chuo, who is a drag performer under the name of Maiden Chai NOIR, said that they hadn’t celebrated Lunar New Year for a long time since moving to Aotearoa from the Philippines.

“With Lychee Baybee I got to celebrate it with a different family – my chosen extended family.”

It was also a place where they felt comfortable showcasing parts of themself that they usually wouldn’t. “As far as I know, I’m the only Filipino drag queen here in Auckland,” said Chuo.

Their performance at the event included VOCALOID, Pokémon and anime.

“It was a joy to be able to do that.

“My drag shows aren’t usually that. I usually do like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, all the pop stars because I know that’s what the majority of the crowd likes.”

Jiang said the event heralded in a new era for the community.

“We’ve been the number one assimilators. It’s almost like the tide is changing, and we want to be seen, and we want to be heard.”