Moonbow

Moonbow is a community-based queer and trans Asian organization that lives at the intersections of queerness, disability justice, and abolition.  We cultivate spaces for connection and relationship-building, with a focus on mental health.

In 2005, API Equality-LA - now Moonbow - was formed in response to opposition campaigns led by conservative Chinese churches. Our work contributed to increased LGBTQ+ acceptance in the Asian and Pacific Islander community and the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality.

After the legalization of same-sex marriage, API Equality-LA began training API LGBTQ+ youth and adults as social movement leaders, focusing on immigration reform, school bullying, and civic engagement. In 2018, we conducted a needs assessment that found mental health as the most critical issue facing our community and our organization began shifting our work accordingly.

The organization has pivoted towards Disability Justice, Healing Justice, and Transformative Justice in our mental health approach. After undergoing a values realignment that took place in 2022-2024, with extensive community input, we have redefined our work, vision, and values, as a queer and trans Asian disability-led mental health organization to respond to our community’s needs.

We envision a world in which queer and trans Asians, alongside our queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and siblings of color, live with an abundance of resources to create the care they need in order to experience safety, healing, and joy.

As a small community-driven organization, your donation is vital in our work to support the mental health needs of queer and trans Asians. By investing in Moonbow, you help us to be sustainable and expand resources for our community.