Balloon and flower arch license#
Balloon and flower arch series#

VietQ has also hosted two pop-ups last summer and started a dance group that teaches Vietnamese traditional dancing but allows for much more queer expressions of gender, eschewing away from traditional expectations of clothing and dance leads based on gender. We also launched Name Change to support people who needed to change their name and needed some financial support around that.вЂќ вЂњBut besides that, weвЂ™ve also launched our COVID financial support for folks who needed a little bit of cash.

Balloon and flower arch series#

вЂњWe did a virtual event series for celebrating New YearвЂ™s, Tet,вЂќ Tran said. Since the pandemic, however, VietQвЂ™s board has shifted methods to continue helping people find connections. VietQ has previously held their first conference in 2020, right before the pandemic started. A lot of us are first- or second-generation Vietnamese Americans and so having those spaces to explore our identities while understanding our culture was something that we wanted to celebrate and honor.вЂќ вЂњAnd in Washington, there just has never been a space where both identities have been celebrated. вЂњOftentimes, there are queer spaces, and then there are Vietnamese spaces,вЂќ Vo said. Organized by VietQ board members Tran Tonnu, Tony Vo, Dao Tran, Kendy Trinh, Lana Pham, Kay Pham, and Tran Pham, the QTBIPOC market is an extension of the founding mission of VietQ - to make community spaces for queer and trans Vietnamese folks. And weвЂ™re trying to promote more queer and trans, BIPOC businesses by hosting these BIPOC markets outdoors as well.вЂќДЇind local art, jewelry, food, clothes, and more at this VietQвЂ™s all-QTBIPOC market at Seward Park, June 4, 2022, from 1 p.m.

So partnering up with makes sense, because itвЂ™s promoting People of Color and the outdoors. вЂњAnd so weвЂ™re taking up spaces that weвЂ™ve always been in and just reclaiming that. вЂњ were very intentional of where we had our market and where these events take place, because they are spaces that have always had a lot of People of Color and have always had a lot of queer joy,вЂќ Tony Vo, board member and founding member of VietQ, said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald. This yearвЂ™s market will also include a partnership with the Refuge Outdoor Festival, a camping festival geared towards getting BIPOC into the outdoors. But it has been something that the community has come back to.вЂќ If the market wasnвЂ™t a success, we wouldnвЂ™t have continued it. вЂњAnd a lot of the stuff that VietQ has been doing the last three, four years has been very organic, just responding to what the community is looking for. вЂњI had longed for, as a young person, who is queer, trans, and Vietnamese, a space to see queer trans Vietnamese folks organizing in our intersectional identities, as complicated as it is,вЂќ Tonnu said.

Balloon and flower arch license#

From their last market, one of their vendors was able to sell enough at the event that they were able to get their business license from the profits that they made. VietQвЂ™s support has made waves of difference for their community members. And now coming back to join us for the next market.вЂќ вЂњHaving folks come and buy their stuff has created a lot of excitement for and their businesses.

вЂњItвЂ™s been a really great way to just see their business grow, because a lot of these vendors are really honestly like starting from scratch,вЂќ Tran Tonnu, another VietQ board member, said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald. This has led to a diverse community of vendors who are not often included in other markets, many of whom are just starting their own businesses. They also promote their vendors with marketing for the event and aim to be intentional about growing awareness for these businesses. VietQ has waived any vendor fees traditionally needed to participate in markets, allowing for greater accessibility and lower barriers for QTBIPOC businesses. (Photo: Dao Tran)ДЄ majority of their vendors this year will be past vendors who have joined for all three of their markets. Last yearвЂ™s market drew around 45 vendors, and this year almost 70 will be in attendance. VietQвЂ™s outdoor market helps support beginning and small QTBIPOC vendors via promotion and waiving vendor fees.