Episode 96: Celebrating Queer Joy — with Brandon Yan

About Our Guest

Brandon Yan

Brandon (he/him) has collaborated with the Ministry of Education, BC Teachers' Federation, UBC Faculty of Education, and the ARC Foundation to address the needs of LGBT2Q+ youth through policies and practices that foster inclusive and more supportive school environments. Growing up as a mixed-race queer kid in Langley, he never saw role models who looked like him on TV or in film, and if he did they were never queer. If they were queer, they were never Asian. Brandon understands that representation of diverse and complex intersecting identities is important, and it is this conviction and his experience as an activist, advocate, and educator that led him to run for Vancouver city council in 2018. Though he didn't win, it brought forward important conversations on representation, race, sexuality, and politics. He is currently the Executive Director of Out On Screen, which produces the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and the Out In Schools program.