Mon. August 8, 2016
Chicago, IL -
Asians & Friends Chicago will host the International Friendship Conference (IFCON) 2016—a conference for the LGBT Asian/Pacific Islander community—Sept. 2-5.
Based in the DoubleTree by Hilton, Magnificent Mile, IFCON 2016 will feature city tours, a Spirit of Chicago cruise on Lake Michigan and a gala dinner. Members from chapters of Asians & Friends and Long Yang Clubs will attend, representing chapters from cities like Cleveland, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Toronto.
—Thursday, Sept. 1: There will be a pre-IFCON welcome party.
—Friday, Sept. 2: Registration will take place in the hospitality suite at 12-6 p.m., and there will be a buffet at 6-9 p.m.
—Saturday, Sept. 3: The hospitality suite will open at noon, there'll be a trolley tour at 12-4 p.m., and there'll be a dinner-boat tour on the Spirit of Chicago at 5-7 p.m. (A la cart tickets can be bought at ifcon2016.org/ifcon-2016-single-event-registration)
—Sunday, Sept. 4: An IFCON board meeting and break-out sessions will take place. In addition, a banquet will take place at 7-10 p.m. at th eDouble Tree Hotel ballroom.
—Monday, Sept. 5: There will be a farewell lunch.
The goal of the conference is to foster safe, supportive environments for gay men of Asian descent, Angel Abcede, president of Asians & Friends Chicago and co-chair of IFCON 2016, said in a statement. "Oftentimes, we find ourselves a minority within a minority in the United States, suffering from racial stereotypes and body-shaming. The phrase we hear on meet-up apps is 'No fats, no fems and no Asians.' But that's not the case at IFCON. Here we're valued for what we look like, our cultural heritages and what we represent as a brotherhood."
Email chicago@ifcon2016.org or visit IFCON2016.org for more information and to register.
From a press release
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