Join us on Sunday, June 1 from 1 to 4pm at The 519 for a showing of Richard Fung’s 1985 documentary Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians, followed by a panel led by artist and professor Casey Mecija.

Richard Fung attended the famous March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights led by Marsha P. Johnson in 1979. His experience there inspired him to create Gay Asians Toronto in 1980, an organization who met at the 519.

Richard felt there was a dominant idea at the time that gay people were white. In 1982 Gay Asians Toronto led the Pride Parade through Grange Park near Chinatown to raise community awareness.

Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians was a pioneering film, documenting queer Asian voices in Toronto that hadn’t been heard before. Let’s watch it again in the very same room 40 years later.

Casey Mecija is an Assistant Professor in York University’s Department of Communications Studies. Also a musician as a solo artist and formerly in a band called Ohbijou. Mecija also hosted a season of The Doc Project on CBC Radio One, and created practice spaces and compilations with other musicians.

Take part in conversation and community building at Orientations: A Panel with Richard Fung and Casey Mecija.