June Chan (born June 6, 1956) is an American lesbian activist and biologist. The organizer and co-founder of the Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC), Chan raised awareness for

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

issues relating to the Asian-American community.

Biography

Chan was born on June 6, 1956, in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

to parents who worked in New York City's Chinatown. Chan's mother was a refugee from China and the

Japanese invasion of China The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific The ...

. Chan's activism had its roots in her childhood, remembering tourists displaying

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

attitudes to people in Chinatown. Chan attended the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Sp ...

and graduated in 1973. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree in biology at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

in 1977. Chan earned her master's degree in biology from the State University of Buffalo. After graduate school, she

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

to her family, which was a mostly positive experience. Chan also works in research on

neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmen ...

. Chan and Katherine Hall met in 1983 and began working on projects together. They created a

slide show A slide show (slideshow) is a presentation of a series of still images ( slides) on a projection screen or electronic display device, typically in a prearranged sequence. The changes may be automatic and at regular intervals or they may be man ...

of Asian lesbians in history and literature which were shown in the 1980s. Their Asian lesbian history slide show was considered "grassroots scholarship" by Polly Thistlethwaite. The slide show gave lesbians "a larger context for ourselves as Asian and Pacific Islander peoples, as people of color in the United States, and as lesbians." Also in 1983, Chan and Hall formed the Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC). The group was formed in response to the overly white and male

community at the time and provided a place for support for lesbians. ALOEC conducted workshops and published newsletters. ALOEC took part in the 1989 LGBT march on

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, demanding civil rights. During the process of organizing the march, Chan connected with other Asian-American lesbian groups. These groups and ALOEC formed the Asian Pacific Lesbian Network (later called the Asian Pacific Bi-Sexual Lesbian Network). In 1994, ALOEC participated in the 25th commemoration of the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the LGBT community#Terminology, gay community in response to a police raid that began in t ...

References

Citations

Sources

* * *

External links

Mariana combing June's Hair
(picture) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, June Living people 1956 births American LGBT rights activists Writers from New York City City College of New York alumni University at Buffalo alumni Activists from New York City

Biography

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links