Free community engagement screening and panel discussion:
“Living in the Shadows of Exclusion” : Asian Americans at the Margins of
Family, Faith, Immigration & LGBT Inclusion
Sat. Aug. 8 @ 1pm – Koret Auditorium, main San Francisco Public Library
One of the few documentaries to focus on Asian American LGBT families, four longtime couples speak out on Marriage Equality in the face of California’s virulent Proposition 8 campaign. Narrating stories and experiences that persona...
Free community engagement screening and panel discussion:
“Living in the Shadows of Exclusion” : Asian Americans at the Margins of
Family, Faith, Immigration & LGBT Inclusion
Sat. Aug. 8 @ 1pm – Koret Auditorium, main San Francisco Public Library
One of the few documentaries to focus on Asian American LGBT families, four longtime couples speak out on Marriage Equality in the face of California’s virulent Proposition 8 campaign. Narrating stories and experiences that personalize these issues, they speak of life and love, faith and family, and the challenges they faced under Prop 8, the U.S. federal Defense of Marriage Act, and immigration laws that have historically devastated LGBT bi-national families. The film follows the families over several years of struggle culminating in the historic events of the June 26, 2013 Supreme Court rulings striking down DOMA and Proposition 8. This updated 54 minute version provides rarely seen historic documentary footage which should prove to be an important part of San Francisco, as well as California, Asian American, LGBT and immigrant history.
Join us for a panel discussion afterwards as we look at the significance of the most recent 2015 U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Marriage Equality. We will look at the history of LGBT inclusion within the history of Asian American exclusion, civil rights and its historic impact on Asian American families. Panelists will address the experiences of LGBT people of faith, the current status of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, and the ongoing work that still needs to be done.
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To learn more about the background of our film or to schedule a screening for your school or community organization, visit our Website: www.ShadowsOfExclusion.com
Panelists and film participants:
Producer/ director, Anna Eng, is a lecturer in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University specializing in Asian American/ Ethnic, Women, Gender and LGBTQ Studies. An avid student and scholar of political and social movements, and immigration history, her research explores the history of working-class Asian American relations of marriage, family, gender, and sexuality during the Asian immigration exclusion years.
Prop 8 litigants, Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, are respectively, the Communications Director and Legal & Policy Director of Marriage Equality USA. Gaffney's parents were one of the earliest Chinese Caucasian interracial couples to marry in California soon after the landmark 1948 Perez v Sharp ruling, overturning California's anti-miscegenation laws.
Filipina/o bi-national couple, Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, challenged immigration laws, which threatened to break up their family of 27 years and separate Tan from her partner and their twin teenage sons.
Other film participants include Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women Transgender Coalition (APIQWTC) co-founder Crystal Jang and Sydney Yeong, and longtime Japantown residents and restauranteur Kenneth Kaji and Ryoji Imaizumi, as they recount the challenges faced by LGBT families with children, and senior LGBT couples.
Panelist Melvin Fujikawa is a singer, speaker and spiritual director. Currently the Member Services Manager for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Melvin is a member of the Network on Religion and Justice for API LGBTQ Peoples. He has spoken at many API churches in the Bay Area about integrating his faith with his sexuality.
Panelist Ruth McFarlane is the Director of Programs at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and a Board Member of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Panelist Rick Oculto is the Education Coordinator for Our Family Coalition where he works to collaborate with educators and school administrators to implement Welcoming Schools to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools for all children.
Much thanks to the San Francisco Public Library, Red Envelope Giving Circle, and the Network on Religion and Justice for making this program possible.