Free Admission, Advance Registration Required
Join us for the start of Pride month at our potluck for our LGBTQ+ community in Japantown!
The Center is teaming up once again with Okaeri to co-host a fun potluck to kick off your Pride month celebrations! Come out to meet other Nikkei LGBTQ+ folks and allies from around the Bay Area, and enjoy some great food as we connect and look forward to the rest of the month’s Pride events.
Admission is free; advance registration is required. Register online and please also fill out our potluck sign up sheet to let us know what potluck item you are bringing! Please provide at least 6 servings if bringing a dish, and include a list of ingredients/possible allergens to display next to your potluck item. We encourage everyone to bring a tupperware container to take home any leftovers!
About Okaeri
In 2014, a group of LGBTQ+ Nikkei, parents of LGBTQ+ Nikkei, and allies of LGBTQ+ people organized Okaeri: A Nikkei LGBTQ Gathering, the first-ever conference focused on LGBTQ+ Nikkei, which was held at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Okaeri was a great success. More than 200 people from across the U.S., Hawaii and Canada attended. Okaeri inspired Nikkei in Seattle, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area to organize similar gatherings. In 2016, a second Okaeri took place successfully attracting another 200 participants. In 2018, the third Okaeri conference occurred, which offered Japanese-language programming in addition to our existing community-based and educational content.
In 2021, the fourth Okaeri Conference was held virtually for the first time, and close to 300 people attended 33 workshops and/or affinity groups. The virtual format allowed people to join from around the world— people came from at least 17 states around the US and 5 foreign locations, including Peru, Canada, Singapore, Japan and Korea.
But too many LGBTQ+ Nikkei are still estranged from our families and the Nikkei community. The need for acceptance, healing and the undoing of homophobia and transphobia continues. Join us for an inclusive Nikkei community at Okaeri.
Okaeri is an opportunity for you to:
Connect with LGBTQ+ Nikkei and allies
Find support, resources and information
Learn how Nikkei have embraced their LGBTQ+ family members
Check out Okaeri’s website for more information at: https://www.okaeri-losangeles.org/
Okaeri is fiscally sponsored by the Little Tokyo Service Center