#aloec

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May 1988, upstate NY. Attendees included June Chan of Asian Lesbians of the East Coast, GAPIMNY co-founders Don Kao, John Chin, and John Manzon, and Kiyoshi Kuromiya founder of Gay Liberation Front in Philly and committed racial justice activists.

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Pages from Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC) : Issue 1, Sept. 1982

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In April 1991, The Heat is On "Miss Saigon:" Coalition to End Racism and Sexism on Broadway, which was led by Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC) and Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY), protested the musical "Miss Saigon" at the Broadway Theater over its stereotypical portrayals of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) people, especially women. Additionally, the demonstration opposed Lambda Legal Defense Fund’s use of the show’s preview for its annual fundraising benefit despite earlier objections from members of ALOEC and GAPIMNY.

The first action took place on April 6th (the show's preview) with approximately 500 demonstrators, consisting of members of ALOEC, GAPIMNY, and various LGBT organizations chanting and carrying signs protesting the musical. They were stopped by the police and required to stand across from the theater. Six coalition members were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, with Joe Pressley and John Kusakabe, both people of color, being beaten by the police during their arrest. Organizers Milyoung Cho and Yoko Yoshikawa were given tickets by showgoers and gained access to the performance. Once inside, Cho and Yoshikawa waited for lead actor Jonathan Pryce, who had received considerable criticism for his role as a Eurasian pimp, to enter the stage before disrupting the musical. Cho and Yoshikawa whistled and yelled, "This play is racist and sexist, Lambda is racist and sexist," before being removed from the theater and returning to the demonstration outside.

First photo source: Outweek; second photo by Corky Lee. Source: New York Daily News

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Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC) leaflet, 1988

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Mariana Romo Carmona and June Chan (b. June 6, 1956), founders of the Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC), New York City, 1988. Photo © Robert Giard Foundation.