​Rooted & Queer: Filipino Identity, Belonging, and Mental Health

​A virtual community conversation hosted by Emari

​Being Filipino and being queer can sometimes feel like two separate conversations that were never meant to overlap. But for so many of us, they're not separate at all, they're the same story, lived every day.

​This Pride Month, Emari is hosting an intentional, community-centered conversation about what it means to navigate identity, family, culture, and mental health as queer and trans Filipinos, and for anyone whose life intersects with these communities.

​Whether you're discovering who you are, supporting someone who is, or simply want to better understand these experiences, this space is for you.

​We'll explore:

​🌈 Identity & Belonging - what it feels like to hold both Filipino and queer identity, and where they conflict or coexist

​🏠 Family, Culture & Expectation - navigating family dynamics, generational silence, and what it's like to come out (or not) in a Filipino household

​💭 Mental Health & the Journey - the emotional weight of constantly navigating identity, especially for young people still discovering who they are

​🤝 Meaningful Support Beyond Pride Month - destigmatizing therapy and healing, and what affirming care actually looks like

​Meet Our Panel

​Mx Kiki Krunch - Interim Chair, QTAPI Coalition; PAC Chair, GAPA; Program Manager, SF Community Health Center

​Criselle Penamante - Global Health Physician-Researcher (Harvard)

​AJ Johnson - Filipinx-American therapist specializing in QTBIPOC and neurodivergent trauma healing, Empowered Mind Therapy Center; representing Therapinxy

​Dr. Hazel Benigno - Licensed Clinical Psychologist focused on decolonization and multigenerational healing

​Ryan Dalusag, LCSW - Filipino-American queer therapist and founder of Well-Being Heritage Therapeutic Services

​In collaboration with Therapinxy and Empowered Mind Therapy Center

​📅 June 30 | 6:00 PM PT 💻 Virtual (Zoom link sent upon registration) 🎥 This session will be recorded

​Everyone is welcome - whether you're queer, Filipino, both, neither, or simply someone who cares about the people in your life who are.

​Save your spot now!