"satellite"-- 1. natural body that revolves around a planet;
2. branch office supports the central office from an outlying location;
3. a device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth directing potential new members back to the i2i mother ship!
CORE MEETING SCHEDULE.
WE GO ALPHABETICALLY BY FIRST NAME TO DETERMINE WHO COORDINATES THE NEXT MEETING. The meeting coordinator also takes minutes and shares them.
NOV 2011 -- RYAN to spearhead. (Barnes & Noble, downtown)
DEC 2011 -- cancelled for holidays.
JAN 2012 -- I LI to spearhead. (DWIGHT might switch. We could have a discussion about whether a retreat will be useful or not.)
FEB 2012 -- JOY to spearhead.
MAR 2012 -- LIZ to spearhead.
APR 2012 -- WILL to spearhead.
MAY 2012 -- NEBULA to spearhead.
i2i CORE GROUP
(Come make history with us!)
The Core helps spearhead programming events and internal development workshops. We support take ownership of our specific tasks/roles, and participate in monthly business meetings. We work to help increase membership as well as the vitality and impact of i2i. We are always looking for new Core members. If you have suggestions on specific programming, please email us or
leave a note in the guestbook.
WILL TUTOL -- Educational Workshops
JOY MESSINGER -- Treasurer
NEBULA LI -- Youth Outreach, Communications
RYAN VILORIA -- Social Events, Webmaster
I LI HSIAO -- Gives support as needed
liz thomson -- Activist Events
DWIGHT OKITA -- Gives support as needed, Web Support
NOTE: To make sure our socials are affordable to all, let's make
sure that entrees do not exceed $10 at selected venues. And please make sure that the venue stays open late enough to accommodate us.
MONTHLY SOCIAL PLANNING ASSIGNMENTS 2011-2012
Nov 2011 -- DWIGHT has chosen GRAND LUX CAFE
(No Dec social due to Holiday Party.)
Jan, Feb 2012 -- I LI will choose (Needs to swap with someone)
Mar, Apr -- JOY will choose
May, June -- NEBULA will choose
Jul, Aug -- RYAN will choose
Sep, Oct -- WILL will choose
Nov, Dec -- DWIGHT will choose
DWIGHT OKITA
Tell us a little about you.
I loved iced coffee and I never use a straw. My debut novel THE PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL was just published. I'm currently single, and looking to be plural!
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
I can identify tunes, often within a few seconds of hearing the opening bar of a song. I write fiction, design websites and videos, enjoy graphic design, have strong admin skills from twenty years working for nonprofits like United Way of Chicago, and Community Resource Network.
How do you identity yourself (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.)
I am Japanese American. I identify as a gay man, as queer. I prefer the pronoun "he."
How long have you been an i2i member?
I joined i2i officially in February 2006. So over five years. I was co-facilitator with Liz for a long productive spell.
What is your official role in i2i?
I provide support as needed. And give web support.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are
you affiliated with?
I have been a practicing Nichiren Buddhist for over 25 years with the Soka Gakkai International (SGI-USA). I am active with various writing organizations. Previously I was a resident playwright with Chicago Dramatists for ten years. I am a frequent entrant to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards contest.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
Creating the i2i video for the NQAPIA Gala at JASC. The video was a labor of love. I felt proud showcasing to a national queer asian audience the five year accomplishments of i2i. It's been great meeting and befriending so many forward-thinking people of different ages, gender identities, orientations and backgrounds over the years. I appreciated i2i's support of the book launch for my novel PROSPECT OF MY
ARRIVAL. I also enjoyed working on many events including "The
Story of My Heart" and "The Story of My Pride."
What is your New Year's Wish for i2i in 2012?
I hope in 2012 that i2i grows in number and in vitality and, most
of all, in happiness. I hope that beyond the current core members,
we have an active group totaling 25 general members by
the end of 2012. That i2i partners with at least two other like-
minded orgs to do some great, life-changing events in the new year.
Internet addresses & addictions?
My blog "Long Day's Journey Into Dwight" tracks my journey as an
"Dwightland" shows some of my website designs and author info: DWIGHTLAND.homestead.com
JOY MESSINGER
Tell us a little about you.
I was adopted when I was 3 months old. I grew up in Western New York and lived in North Carolina before moving to Chicago. I’m passionate about social & reproductive justice. I also love cooking, eating, dancing, The Rachel Maddow Show, & college
basketball.
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
I like to tap dance and I can sort of speak very poorly in Spanish, French, Korean, and Haitian Creole. I’m a professional sex educator so I know lots of random facts about sex and sexuality. I also have the magic ability to fall asleep anywhere, especially the CTA Pink Line.
How do you identity yourself? (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.)
I’m an out bisexual/queer Korean American adoptee. I prefer feminine pronouns like “she” and “her.” I also identify as a pagan-leaning, peace-loving feminist, immigrant, & activist.
How long have you been an i2i member?
I’ve been an i2i member since August 2010 and in the Core
since April 2011.
What is your official role in i2i?
I’m the Treasurer so I keep track of our cash flow situation.
I also manage the social media (follow us at @Chicagoi2i or
“like” us at facebook.com/i2iAPIPride), which mostly gives me
an excuse to be on Twitter a lot.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are you affiliated with?
I’m a member of the National Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), Sexuality Health Educators to End Rape (sheer), and the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Lesbian Leadership Council. I’m also the Board Secretary of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), of which i2i is a member organization.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
It was great to help i2i find a better banking option than it had (nerdy, I know!). I was also really proud to march with i2i at the 2011 Dyke March in Chicago’s South Shore.
What is your New Year's Wish for i2i in 2012?
I’m excited about helping to organize Dyke March in Uptown’s Argyle corridor in June and about hopefully fundraising to send members to NQAPIA’s National Conference in Washington DC in July. I’m also excited about building i2i’s community partnerships with other API and LGBTQ organizations in Chicago and beyond!
Internet addresses & addictions?
I’m a self-identified Twitter addict at @joyluckclub1218. I also started a tumblr about my upcoming adoptee trip back to South Korea at seoulsisterreturning.tumblr.com
RYAN VILORIA
Tell us a little about you.
I am currently a graduate student at UIC’s English MA program. My academic interests include comparative literature and Asian American representation in media. I am also the Graduate Assistant for the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Asian Americans (CCSAA) at school. I’m also a proud geek and potato chip connoisseur.
What are your skills, talents, magic powers?
Seeing as how I’m an English student, I consider myself a writer, researcher, interviewer, and occasional blogger of sorts – essentially a student of life. As a Chicagoan born and raised, I’m one of the best guides in the city and a local nomad, which means I like to explore the city and be present whenever history happens in this great town. At times I can also be a walking contradiction, but according to Walt Whitman, that’s a-okay.
How do you identify yourself? (ethnicity,
orientation-wise, gender, etc)
Respectively: Filipino-American, bisexual,
male, Capricorn, Rooster/Dog Zodiac hybrid,
Trekkie, Whovian.
How long have you been an i2i member?
I have been a member since (I suppose) 2006 by attending occasional events, but I became a Core member March 2011.
What is your official role in i2i?
I am the Social Chair for i2i, also known as the party planner for social events designed to build and foster community, and to promote collaboration. Theoretically, I’m also the webmaster, though because of workload this semester (and only this semester), Dwight has graciously stepped up with those duties.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are you affiliated with?
In addition to the aforementioned UIC and CCSAA, I am also the Managing Editor for the Packingtown Review graduate journal. In the past I was a teaching facilitator and assistant for Young Asians with Power! (YAWP!) and a student of Second City, both facts that I am clearly proud to declare.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
Joining together with Dwight to create an event called Story of My Heart, which was a frank and candid (and confidential!) discussion through stories about love, sex, attraction and/or romance in the queer Asian American community. The feedback we received from the event was much greater than anticipated, and it was the event that convinced me to participate more with i2i.
What is your New Year’s Wish for i2i?
As a proud citizen of Chicago (for all its ups and downs), I liked seeing i2i’s profile raised bit by bit over the past year; thus, my wish is for i2i to grow not just through more activity and membership, but also through banding together with other community-oriented groups for like-minded causes. We bring a unique voice to the city and to the greater LGBTQ *and* Asian scene, and that voice is prone to sharing. Part of that goal, I believe, is having a membership that becomes more and more representative of the acronym LGBTQ… and then some.
Internet addresses & addictions?
Email: rvilor1@gmail.com Twitter: @ryanviloria
The Onion, Roger Ebert, Gizmodo, Dorkly, Cracked, NYT, Geekologie, FiveThirtyEight, Wikipedia, and of course, Facebook
WILL TUTOL
Tell us a little about you.
I love life! From morning till night, I embrace all the various components of the day. My roots stem from the colonized lands of 7,107 islands and I can devour some dark meat chicken. I’m fascinated by raw street fashion, fixed-gear bikes, travelling w/o a plan, ethnography, Chicago house music, post-industrialism, Sociology, Urban Planning and a plethora of other strange and unusual interests.
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
Socratic questioning, putting together a sick look, group facilitation
and socializing. =)
How do you identity yourself (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.)
Queer/ Filipino-American.
How long have you been an i2i member?
I have been with i2i for three years, 2008-2011.
What is your official role in i2i? Educational Workshops leader.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are you affiliated with?
Co-Chair—Populations Committee for Chicago HPPG.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
Presenting my life story as part of an i2i event called "Journeys."
What is your New Year's Wish for i2i in 2012?
My wish for i2i for the year 2012 is to grow in numbers and create more visibility surrounding Queer API awareness and rights.
Internet addresses?
williambtutol@gmail.com
NEBULA LI
Tell us a little about you (especially since you are new!)
I was born in North Carolina, but spent a good amount of time growing up in New Jersey and Virginia. I just finished law school at UChicago, where fun really does go to die, which was a huge change from my years at Mary Baldwin and Carolina. I’m mildly obsessed with Doctor Who, and enjoy talking about gender and sexuality.
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
I love singing and generally making music, dancing, reading, and meeting passionate people through activism. I’m good at making banana bread and fitting a surprising amount of food into myself.
How do you identity yourself? (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.)
I’m queer – I’m attracted to and have relationships with people of all or no genders. My parents are from Hong Kong, but I was born in the States. I use feminine pronouns, though I like to queer my appearance every once in a while.
How long have you been an i2i member?
I’ve been an i2i member since Spring 2011 and in the Core since November 2011.
What is your official role in i2i?
I am the new Youth Outreach coordinator and Communications person. I plan on focusing on assisting with our political advocacy efforts, and being part of the Dyke March 2012 effort.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups
are you affiliated with?
I’m the Co-Chair of the Queer Caucus of the National Lawyers
Guild, a member of its NextGen, a soon-to-be ally member of
the Immigrant Youth Justice League, a member of the Lesbian
and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, a member of the Young
Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, and I work
for AIDS Legal Council of Chicago.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
The first i2i social at Kevin’s house was a really fun moment for me. I was excited to find a group of people who I could have a good time hanging out with despite our age and gender differences.
What is your New Year's Wish for i2i in 2012?
I am hoping for i2i to work with more youth, in high school or in college.
Internet addresses & addictions?
I’m on Facebook, that’s about it. :)
Tell us a little about you.
I immigrated to US from Taiwan to US in 1980. Lived in Chicago ever since: Berwyn/Cicero, Andersonville, Uptown, now Rogers Park. Went to UIUC for college, have a B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture. Have been doing floral design for 22 years(since 1990). Have been involved with queer Asian activism since 1994.
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
I consider myself a floral artist, my mediums are mainly flower, foliage, branches. I DO NOT use the 3 Bs: Balloon, Butterfly, Bird in my floral work. I love to make art with different mediums, cook, bake and garden. Also enjoy deep conversations. Likes to read non-fictions. I'm a uniter of people of different believes.
How do you identity yourself (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.) A leo, born in the year of the cock. I'm a queer Chinese American. I'm also fine being described as gay, faggot, sissy or cocksucker. Pronouns he or she is fine with me.
How long have you been an i2i member?
I've been involved with I2I since fall of 2003, before the term I2I was coined. At the formation of the queer API group. Had been co-facilitator with elisa for at a time.
LIZ THOMSON
Tell us a little about you.
I save lives, increase education, increase visibility for LGBTQ Asian Pacific Islanders in Chicago and the nation. I do this through my professional work at the Gender & Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois Chicago with young adults, teaching an Asian American Gender & Sexuality Diversity course, being an active Core Member of i2i.
What are you skills, talents, magic powers?
I also have a passion for documentary photography/photojournalism and have done photography since one of my moms let me hold her film Nikon 35mm when I was 8. It's truly amazing what the digital age has done for photography. We can shoot over 1000 photos so easily and then even modify them even more with the computer. There are times that I miss not having access to a darkroom though. There's something so calming being in the darkroom alone for hours just trying to get the print how you want it. I'm glad that I had that experience and training in black and white photography.
How do you identity yourself (ethnically, orientation-wise, gender, etc.)
My intersections of identities are complex and include being a bisexual, cisgender female, Vietnamese adoptee, whose spouse is a loving, progressive, and open-minded male.
How long have you been an i2i member?
Well, that's an interesting question because I was definitely part of i2i even before it was called i2i. It's like saying how long did you know Timmy. I'd say I knew Timmy's mom. My best guesstimate is about 2003 when I first had coffee with Karl Kimpo at Coffee Chicago.
What is your official role in i2i?
Activist Events for i2i.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are you affiliated with?
I am a Board member of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA).
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
I'd say the NQAPIA Gala. We really raised our visibility amongst the our peer LGBTQ API and South Asian organizations from across the country. It was A LOT of hard work between me, Dwight, and I Li, but it was well worth it. It also was one of the first times we formally worked with a non-LGBTQ but Asian American organization -- JASC. I remember feeling very anxious the night of the Gala when I needed to talk to one of our contacts at JASC about making the restrooms gender neutral. I had felt extremely bad that I hadn't asserted this earlier. And here it was - the night of. So, I saw her, and she was extremely fine with it as I explained that it went to people's safety and full inclusion of the LGB and T communities. She listened attentively and actually thanked us for such a great education. That prior to working with us she hadn't ever really said the letters LGBT. I also wish that Ma (who had passed away a few month earlier) had been at the Gala to meet my friends and see what kind of work I did. I got teary as I spoke at the mic and the tears burned my eyes. We need to remember Kleenex next time!
What is your New Year's Wish for i2i in 2012?
My wish is that we increase Core members, make sure we all don't burn out, and learn how to collaborate with others -- especially the Dyke March Collective folks.
Internet addresses & addictions?
I don't have a lot of regular kind of web sites I go to, but here's a few:
www.napawf.org (National Asian Pacific American's Women Forum)
www.gsc.uic.edu (where I work)
www.imagineyogachicago.com (Yoga place in Rogers Park where I practice)
chicago.shambhala.org (Chicago Meditation Center)
www.megabus.com (pretty cheap bus rides when I go home to Indy)
www.tjlp.org (great Chicago trans organization)
Although I don't have time to watch a lot of TV, I do like Glee, Modern Family, and Raising Hope. I don't like watching stuff that is abusive, violent, or just plain mean. There's enough of that in reality that I don't want to watch it again. A splurge purchase when we moved was not moving with my old CRT TV and bought a flat screen LCD Internet Google TV. I justified it that it was the same price as a TV but with a little computer in it. I mostly wanted to be able to watch Netflix on it - which we do a lot. Or funny puppy YouTube videos.
I LI HSIAO
What is your official role in i2i?
I'm currently part of the core, planning for future events.
Aside from Invisible 2 Invincible, what other groups are you affiliated with? The radical faeries, AIFD (American Institute of
Floral Designers) and flower groups.
What are your proudest moments with i2i?
Presenting a program with Maggie on LGBT Chinese history. March with I2I in 2010 + 2011 Dyke March @ South Shore!
What is your New Year's wish for i2i in 2012?
Have more queer API that will join us in the community we're fostering. Have a loud voice in the LGBT community and API community. I hope Dyke March in Argyle will be a big boost for I2I, the group will be on center stage.
Internet addresses & addictions?
and Facebook.
