Fil-Am Advocate Spotlights Resilience Amid Anti-LGBTQ, Anti-Asian Hate

Step into the kaleidoscope of today’s Filipino American experience and you’ll find more than just dazzling colors, you’ll discover a quiet, steely strength forged in the face of unprecedented adversity. On August 15, 2025, Filipinx-American advocate Nicholas Turton took center stage, using his story to shine a spotlight on the resilience surging within our queer, brown communities. In a year defined by relentless attacks, anti-LGBTQ+ policy rollbacks in the U.S., and a surge in anti-Asian slurs and violence, Nicholas’s journey is a masterclass in “soft but fierce” survival and the alchemy of turning pain into unbreakable pride.GLAAD

This is what belonging looks like

Growing up as a gay, multiracial Filipino in a small-town suburb meant Nicholas never quite fit the mold, too brown, too queer, too many languages spoken at home. Yet from these margins, he discovered a deep well of belonging and a powerful mandate: claim your truth, and use that truth to pull others out of the shadows. Through his advocacy with organizations like The Trevor Project and Stop AAPI Hate, Nicholas has witnessed firsthand both the heartbreak and the unbreakable spirit that pulses through our intersectional community.

A new wave of hate, a new call for resilience

If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that oppression is shapeshifting and persistent. The year brought a spike in anti-Asian hate, especially after the 2024 U.S. election, as well as fresh legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, hitting Trans and nonbinary youth especially hard.GLAAD The violence in Vancouver during Lapu Lapu Day, which claimed the lives of nearly a dozen Filipino community members, underscored just how urgent, and costly, the fight for visibility can be.

Finding power in pride and grief

Nicholas’s story isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving despite. He speaks openly about carrying the memory of lost loved ones as fuel for activism. “I belong. And so do you,” Nicholas asserts, a mantra woven through every organizing call, every community healing circle, every social media post that breaks the silence of shame.

Community as armor and balm

Organizations such as the Haus of Move Camp, a creative power-building space for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ artists, illustrate the shift from mere survival to celebration. This intersectional advocacy, powered by data, art, and lived experience, is exactly the antidote our communities need: fierce, beautiful solidarity. As Nicholas and so many others show, being authentically, loudly Filipino and queer is not just possible; it’s revolutionary.

Kapit lang, mga bakla, hold tight, queens. These are tough times, but our joy, art, and unity are tougher. Let’s keep showing up, louder than ever. Share your own story or shout out a resilient Fil-Am icon in the comments below, because our voices, and our lives, matter.