Our History

Established in 2019, after months of discussion and soul searching, the Southern Nevada Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society (SNAPIQS) was founded to create a safe and supportive community to foster positive role models in Southern Nevada.

The founding leadership team envisioned SNAPIQS to serve the LGBT*, queer, gender-nonconforming, and transgender individuals of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American descent in Southern Nevada region through education, mentorship, awareness, advocacy, and activities both social and cultural.

Since our inception, SNAPIQS directly engage in social, cultural, and political advocacy to advance and protect our community’s interests and well-being. As an all-volunteer, grassroots organization, we have been dedicated to providing a safe space to inspire individuals to be their best selves, for others to celebrate our diversity, and for all of us to continue the fight for equality.

SNAPIQS became a federation member of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) + Nevada Minority Health & Equity Coalition (NMHEC) since 2020.

The Southern Nevada Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society (SNAPIQS) is NOT a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization or 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization. However, we are working forward toward obtaining this status in the future.

>> Meet The Leadership Team

>> SNAPIQS Fund (Site Coming Soon)

UTOPIA Seattle

United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance​, also known as UTOPIA is a queer and trans people of color-led, grassroots organization born out of the struggles, challenges, strength, and resilience of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI – “Q-T-pie”) community in South King County. Since 2009, UTOPIA has worked with QTPI leaders to create a safe, welcoming, supportive, and vibrant space for members of our community to address basic needs, build pathways toward new expanded career and life opportunities, foster a sense of common purpose, and advocate for social justice, education, and overall wellness among members of the Pacific Islander LGBTQI community. We also seek to build trust and common ground as a convener and bridge-builder between the Pacific Islander community and the LGBTQI community, who often share many of the same issues and concerns.

UTOPIA is led and founded by women of color, identifying as transgender and/or fa’afafine. Fa’afafine ​ is a cultural gender identity native to Samoa translated as “in the manner of a woman.” We approach community work through an intersectional and cultural lens. Our cultural identity plays an integral role in the way we care and fight for the liberation of queer and trans people of color.

Since its inception, UTOPIA has worked to build power and help our community members access resources, employment, stable housing, higher education, culturally competent healthcare, and more. Founder, Executive Director, and Fa’afafine Leader, Taffy Maene-Johnson saw an influx of queer and trans Pacific Islanders emigrating to the Pacific Northwest in search of opportunities and the need to address the inequities in access. These community members faced hardships in securing employment due to race and gender-based discrimination and were often pushed into sex work, low-paying hard labor jobs, and contracted out-of-state jobs where their rights as workers were violated and where there was limited access to healthcare.

GAPA SF

Established in 1988 after months of discussion and soul searching from several members of the Asian Gay Men's Support Group at Berkeley's Pacific Center, GAPA was formed fundamentally to organize, integrate and nurture a growing gay & bisexual Asian and Pacific Islander (API) identity and to foster positive role models within our communities. Three decades on we continue forward as a vanguard for the queer and transgender API community in the Bay Area. We helped build institutions like the SF Community Health Center, formerly API Wellness Center, and GAPA Runway, one of the longest running SF pageants.

There have been countless shows, concerts, conferences, political engagements, rallies, press releases, banquets, and partnerships. We directly engage in social, cultural and political advocacy to advance and protect our community’s interests and well-being. As an all-volunteer, grassroots organization, we have been dedicated in providing a safe space to inspire individuals to be their best selves, for others to celebrate our diversity, and for all of us to continue the fight for equality.

GAPA is a 501(4) non profit social welfare organization. Our new affiliate, GAPA Fund, is a 501c(3) organization that focuses funding cultural activities and the arts.

MEET THE BOARD 