Coming off Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, AJSOCAL carried our energy straight into Pride Month. On June 10, 2026, the AAPI Queer Joy Coalition hosted its third annual Jade Jubilee at Cafeteria 15L, bringing together community leaders, advocates, and legislators to celebrate queer and trans Asian & Pacific Islander (QTAPI) excellence and to rally behind the coalition’s 2026 legislative priorities.
Founded in 2024 by AJSOCAL, the AAPI Queer Joy Coalition exists to build political power rooted in culture, care, and community. This year’s celebration was co-hosted by AJSOCAL, Hmong Innovating Politics, Lavender Phoenix, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, and Viet Rainbow of Orange County.
The 2026 AAPI Queer Joy Bill Priorities focus on areas including mental health, access to life-saving gender affirming care, and inclusive curriculum. More about our priorities:
- AB 1876 (Addis) – Protect Transgender Patients from Discrimination: At a moment when transgender health care is under attack nationwide, AB 1876 draws a firm line in California. Health plans and insurers cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. For transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) Californians, it means medically necessary care can’t be denied or quietly limited.
- AB 1540 (González) – Restore LGBTQ+ 988 Crisis Support: AB 1540 brings back the “Press 3” option on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, reconnecting LGBTQ+ youth in California to trained, culturally competent counselors who understand them.
- AB 908 (Solache) – Enforce LGBTQ+ & Inclusive Curriculum: AB 908 puts accountability behind the FAIR Education Act, requiring the California Department of Education to ensure districts actually teach LGBTQ+ history and contributions.
The night celebrated the QTAPI community’s diversity, resilience, creativity, and vision of continuing to fight for an equitable and liberated future. Two of the region’s most beloved drag entertainers carried guests through the evening. PrincessB, a Sacramento staple for six years, known for her kawaii-inspired looks, big energy, and devotion to LGBTQIA+ youth, lit up the stage alongside Lotus, a Vietnamese American, trans-femme performer whose fantastical storytelling and powerhouse numbers have earned her pageant titles and a place in history as Sacramento’s first Transgender Pride Grand Marshal.
Assemblymember Mark González and Assemblymember José Solache, who authored two of the bills in this year’s package, stepped out of the Capitol and into the celebration, standing shoulder to shoulder with the community their policies are written to serve.
The 2026 Allyship Award went to Assemblymember Chris Ward, Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and representative of California’s 78th Assembly District. Since 2020, Assemblymember Ward has been a steady force on housing, homelessness, climate, and responsible budgeting, authoring landmark laws from the state’s first community solar program to measures curbing ghost guns and strengthening behavioral health and government transparency. As Caucus Chair, his push for language access, equity, and visibility mirrors the very work the Jade Jubilee exists to lift up.
The 2026 Community Visionary Award honored Shai Chang (they/them), a trans-nonbinary, Hmong organizer and co-creator of Queer Hmong Intersectional Pride (QHIP). Chang helped bring QHIP to life alongside many others, building the space they once needed, somewhere trans and queer Hmong folks could find connection, healing, and belonging. What began as a gathering place has grown into a radical, political home fighting for trans and queer power across Fresno and Sacramento, grounded in healing and transformative justice and pouring into the next generation of young organizers.
Three years in, Jade Jubilee has become a night where QTAPI communities can celebrate out loud. During a time that continuously tests us, joy is power, and we have no intention of giving up.
Photo credits: Xanh Tran
