Supplied
All My Friends is an Asian and Pacific-led community organisation that has been holding events for Asian and Pacific queer creatives. From left: Tyrun Posimani he/him, Tommy Jiang he/him, Abbey Gamit they/she, Kevin Shen he/him.
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.”
Angela Hu/Supplied
Lychee Baybee has a full Asian DJ lineup which Jiang thinks is great but also “so late”. (Image description: An Asian woman who wears a New York beanie, headphones, glasses and a puffer vest is DJing with a hand up to their ear.)
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”.
Angela Hu/Supplied
Maiden Chai NOIR’s performance at Lychee Baybee had VOCALOID, Pokémon and anime references. (Image description: Maiden Chai NOIR is posed in stage lights in front of a sparkly curtain and looks dramatically disapprovingly out to the crowd with a hand on their hip. They have long textured hair that is black on one side and pink on the other side, striking eye makeup and overdrawn lips.)
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.
Angela Hu/Supplied
Lychee Baybee attracted more than 200 guests from the Asian, queer and creative community. (Image description: A crowd of young people dressed in colourful club wear are dancing and socialising under the red hue of the club lights).
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.”
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