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May '98:
Pattaya Crowns a Queen
No Cash for Conference
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Vol 1. No 8. May, 1998
No Cash for Conference
Thai lesbians won’t be attending a major international conference for Asian lesbians in the US in July due to lack of funding.
The Asian and Pacific-Islander Lesbian and Bisexual Network (APLBN) conference will take place at the UCLA campus in San Francisco from July 3-5. But because the organisers have no budget to sponsor the airfares of delegates coming from overseas, only those women who can afford to pay their own way will be able to attend.
Anjaree organiser Anjana Suwannanond said that only one scholarship was available to Thai lesbians to cover the conference registration fee, but there was no money for travel to the US.
While expressing disappointment, the head of Thailand’s national lesbian group said she understood the difficulties of fundraising for lesbian events. “We can’t really blame them, but it means we cannot participate,” she said.
APLBN is a US-based organisation formed in 1987 that aims to bring together the Asian and Pacific Islander lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities throughout the US and abroad.
But without sponsorship, many lesbians from poorer countries in the region won’t be going. “The conference organisers try to be more inclusive but no funds are available,” said Ms Anjana. “It’s also difficult for lesbians in the US to mobilise funds as lesbian work is not recognised as being worth funding by mainstream organisations.”
Apart from money, visas and language also present a problem to Thai women wanting to attend the conference. To obtain a US visa, Thai nationals need to show proof of sufficient income or home ownership.
“Some of the more active members of Anjaree who wanted to attend may not have the language skills to participate or be able to meet the financial criteria to get the visa,” said Ms Anjana.
Titled “Building Bridges: Spanning Our Past to a Bright Future,” the conference workshops will include: HIV/Aids; women’s health; financial empowerment; legal rights; same-sex marriage; website design; immigration; anti-Asian sentiment; sex and sexuality; internalised homophobia; the transgender movement; intra-Asian relations; youth; and spirituality. For more information, check out their webpage at http://www.expage.com/page/aplbn or email aplconf@aol.com
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