AFIRE Chicago (2026)

04/10/2026

Uplifting this group of folks again, the FAHM, ILY! planning committee, which began meeting in MARCH to envision this collaboration. Every detail discussed and planned - the format, activities, venue, guest panelists, performers, breakfast, lunch, dinner, meryenda, decorations, even down to the last streamers and ink gel pens - made this gathering so successful. Thanks all for all you do to keep the work going and support visibility of our q***r and trans Filipinx/a/o communities!

Image: two rows of people standing and kneeling in front of a pink stage curtain and screen.

04/10/2026

What a great FAHM, ILY! event yesterday and a great way to dive into Filipino-American History Month! The day was filled with an abundance of creativity, stories, vulnerability, and joy. We can't thank everyone enough for showing up and being in community with us. We loved getting to hear from our guest panelists and participants throughout the day and celebrated our passionate performers to close out the night.

Many thanks going out to:
Our partners Dr. Rachel Kuo and Sarah Amplo at the University of Wisconsin and Filipino Young Leaders Program Tayo for this collaboration. The film crew Ashley and Kaz Mendoza Rodriguez for archiving this moment. Sun Rey Cafe Kusina ni Mars Chicago Sugar Daddy Patisserie SUBO Filipino Kitchen for the incredible food. Sarap sarap!
And to the team Color Club for hosting and taking great care of us in the space literally all day!

Images from the closing performance:
1. The FAHM, ILY! planning committee, standing or kneeling in two rows on a stage
2. DJ Arkipelago behind a sound booth
3. Opening stillshot of the film "Diaspora is a Country" by Teddy Gonzales 🧸♊️🍊 and renzo ~ 🎶 on a screen
4. A large group of people sitting and standing in a big room watching a film
5. 🇵🇭|🏳️‍🌈|🇺🇸 on stage holding a mic in one hand and a scarf in the other, a manananggal emerging
6. Alissa Anne sharing their story on stage, right before it got nsfw :o
7. Audience locked in
8. Angelíca Grace in the splits on the floor !
9. ˖ ࣪ ⊹ 𝕵𝖊𝖙𝖙⊹ ࣪ ˖ on a stage with a mic and that "just scored 100 on the Magic Mic" look in their eyes
10. All of the stage performers together on stage
11. Group of people sitting in a circle for an impromptu pokemon séance

04/10/2026

Evening session with guest orgs Tahanan Center, Anti-War Committee, and Tanggol Migrante. Organizing in the current climate doesn't have to follow a formula! With a pre-session pin the nose on the pig followed by art making to a loved one.

Images:
1. 4 people sitting at a table - our panelists and moderator
2 and 3. Group of people in a large room, some sitting, some standing
4. A portrait of a person covered with pig noises
5. Papers a cup with pens

03/10/2026

FAHM, ILY! afternoon session kicked off with an activity exploring the origins of the q***r slang used in q***r or trans Filipinx/a/o communities. Then we got to hear from a q***r panel of Filipinx/a/o creatives doing amazing things throughout the community.

Images:
1. A group of people sitting or standing in a large, brightly lit room
2. One person presenting in front of a screen
3 - 6. Chart pack papers filled with colorful post-it notes in response to different questions related to language
7. A row of people talking and responding to questions
8. Group of people listening to panelists
9. Video of lunch provided by Kusina ni Mars

03/10/2026

Happy Fip-Am History Month! We're at Color Club all day today for FAHM, ILY! We just wrapped the morning session, envisioning our perfect day 10 years from now and what it takes to get there. What does YOUR perfect day look like and how do we organize to get you there??

Next up: Getting into the language of gender and sexuality with a panel of special guests!

Images:
1. Watercolor of today's flier by Trish
2. Guests and community members taking in breakfast from Sunrey Cafe
3. FAHM,ILY! on the screen behind a stage
4. Separate gears of oppression with some very thoughtful notes
5. Video of q***r and trans data
6. Video of Filipinx/a/o data

01/10/2026

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR FAHM, ILY! 😱

FAHM, ILY! is an all day, all ages event that will include community discussions, activities, vendors, and performances. Food will be provided throughout the day which includes breakfast, lunch, merienda, and dinner. Masks are required when not eating or drinking. Bring a small item or photograph of a loved one you want to bring into the space with you, and add them to our community altar!

❗️ REGISTER TODAY @ tinyurl.com/afire-fahm2026 ❗️

The Morning Session workshop will focus on base-building efforts to bring q***r and trans organizing into AFIRE's programs and infrastructure. The goals of this session are to learn from the community about what our organizing priorities need to be, and develop a strategy of support and ex*****on. Facilitators: Marilou Mariko Carrera and Sarah Amplo.

The Afternoon Session workshop is a space to build shared understandings of gender and sexuality within and across generations, including links of gender and sexuality with faith and religion; pre-colonial histories of sexuality; and different words in Tagalog to describe gender and sexuality. Activity facilitator: Patricia Damocles. Panelists: Sky Cubacub, RJ Silva, AJ Domingo, and Jill Raz. Moderator: Sarah Amplo.

The Evening Session workshop will involve uplifting calls to action from the movement, activities for community-building, and meeting external partners. Activity facilitator: Kaya Rial. Organizational partners: Tanggol Migrante Chicago, Tahanan Filipino Center, Anti-War Committee Chicago. Moderator: Rachel Kuo.

The Celebration portion of the program will close out the night with performances and dancing! Performers: Jett Par, Teddy Gonzales, Michael Oliveros, Alissa Catiis, Angelíca Grace, and ARKAPELAGO.

Vendors: Sun Rey Cafe, Kusina Ni Mars, Chicago Sugar Daddy, SUBO Filipino Kitchen, and Elite Crafts & Bracelets.

Planning & Volunteer Crew: Rachel, Sarah, Mark, and Leezel.

Planning & Volunteer Crew: Kaya, Patricia, Amanda, and Mae.

Planning & Volunteer Crew: Sam, Em, Cheryll, and Kaila.

Film & Video Crew: Ashley and Kaz.

24/09/2026

FAHM, ILY! is NEXT SATURDAY!!! 🇵🇭🎤🪭

Introducing our Celebration Performance Line-up!

❗️ REGISTER TODAY @ tinyurl.com/afire-fahm2026 ❗️

🪩 [Emcee] Jett Parr (they/them) is a multifaceted Chicago-based creative who strives to explore the freedom, comedy, grief, whimsy and joy of the q***r FilAm experience. As a community organizer and producer, they take inspiration from past family gatherings they had growing up — always making sure everyone who walks in the door feels welcome, warm and well-fed. As a performer, they love creating and exploring works that include: ethereal genderf**kery, the absurd in the mundane, and tiptoeing the line between goofy euphoric bliss and the heartache of the human experience. You can find them oversharing shower thoughts and home cooked meals on Instagram at ˖ ࣪ ⊹ 𝕵𝖊𝖙𝖙⊹ ࣪ ˖.

🪩 Teddy Gonzales (they/she) is a writer, filmmaker, multimedia strategist, and aspiring polymath. Their work is curious about how language and art can honor the shape and color of communities' stories. In 2025, they started Balikbayan Book Club: a Rizal Center program that invites Fil-Am and their allies to think critically about their history through the writing of Filipinx and diasporic writers. Right now, they're probably building something, learning a new language, or drawing fan art where they're best friends with Jose Rizal.

🪩 Inspired by the ingenuity their ancestors exemplify, Michael Oliveros roots themselves in the rich legacies of q***r refusal and Philippine resilience. As a storyteller, craftsman, and lover of myths, their work reckons with the apocalyptic, diving into the haunted trenches of memory to imagine alternative futures. Today, their work is expansive, interrogating subjects such as survivability, willpower, and community care. When not writing, you can find them running around Chicago, racing against the wind.

🪩 Alissa Catiis (she/her) is a proud q***r Filipina American multidisciplinary artist and producer known as Miss Ali Verse on the burlesque stage. She believes in the power of words, movement, and dance to tell the most sacred and vulnerable stories. Her dance style is as versatile as she is – emotional and embodied as we

17/09/2026

FAHM, ILY! is a little over TWO WEEKS away! 🇵🇭🎤🪭

Get to know our Evening Organizational Partners!

❗️ REGISTER TODAY @ tinyurl.com/afire-fahm2026 ❗️

✊ The Tanggol Migrante Movement Chicago is an alliance of organizations dedicated to fighting for the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers in the Midwest, in addition to defending and protecting Filipinos facing attacks under the Trump administration and beyond. The alliance engages in collective action in various ways: joint education, resource sharing, legal and health services, fundraising, advocacy work, and building public pressure to push forward the demands of the most impacted.

✊ Tahanan Filipino Center brings together Filipino migrant workers, youth, and their families in Albany Park and the greater Chicago metropolitan area to build community and access support for services, resources, and referrals. As a nonprofit organization led by Filipino migrant workers and community leaders, Tahanan Filipino Center envisions a world where the harsh but all-too-common realities of forced migration are no longer accepted as permanent and unavoidable fixtures in the experiences of our families and loved ones. Where those most affected by these social injustices take action and lead in bringing about change to systemic inequality and ensure the fullest potential of migrant workers, youth, and their families.

✊ The original Anti-War Committee (AWC) in Chicago arose from the campaign to oppose the NATO summit held here in 2012. 15,000 demonstrators answered the call to protest and march that May, confronting not only NATO leaders but a heavy-handed police presence under the direction of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In the summer following the NATO summit, the AWC organized protests to mark the tenth anniversary of the Afghanistan War and marched on Boeing Headquarters to confront the military contractor for its complicity in the growing US drone-warfare program. That winter, as Israel launched its deadly 2012 assault on Gaza, the AWC joined thousands from Chicago's Palestinian community to expose Boeing for supplying Israel with F16s, Apache helicopters, missiles and depleted-uranium bombs. After a period of inac

10/09/2026

FAHM, ILY! is a little over 3 weeks away! 🇵🇭🎤🪭

Swipe left to get to know our Afternoon Panelists!

❗️ REGISTER TODAY @ tinyurl.com/afire-fahm2026 ❗️

🌞 Sky Cubacub (they/them/theirs/xey/xem/xyr) is a nonbinary xenogender disabled Filipinx neuroq***r from Chicago, IL. Xey are creator of Rebirth Garments, an activewear line for trans and q***r disabled people of all sizes and ages (2014). They are author of “Radical Visibility: a Q***rcrip Dress Reform Movement Manifesto” and editor of the Radical Visibility Zine, a full color cut/paste style zine that celebrates disabled q***r life. They are a founding member of Radical Visibility Collective, which creates fashion performances with audio descriptive songs. In 2020, xey started Radical Fit, a free q***rcrip DIY fashion program/youth fashion incubator with the Chicago Public Library, which hosts Q***r Radical Fair, a yearly celebration debuting the youth fashion collections.

🌞 RJ Silva (he/him) is the Artistic Director of CIRCA Pintig, spearheading the Chicago Filipino American Theatre Festival, as well as launching the acting ensemble of Filipino and Filipino-American actors in Chicago. As a playwright, his play HAIL MARY/MARIA received a raved Chicago premiere at Theater Wit under Nova Entertainment. This year he also premiered a solo play YOU EAT SO WELL! in San Francisco, blending stories of Filipino food with reconnecting with his culture and community. His five episode romantic comedy web series EAT CUTE has premiered on YouTube. His writing uniquely blends the Filipino q***r experience through the lens of pop culture or magical realism on stage and screen.

🌞 AJ Domingo (they/them) is a Chicago Drag King who explores and plays with the spectrum of masculinity and gender presentation. AJ recently performed as part of the Magic D**e cast, a q***r production of Magic Mike Las Vegas where the cast explored different forms of masculinity. They also are involved in Notes on Masculinity, a bi-monthly production hosted by Switch the Boi Wonder and Po’Chop at the California Clipper. Through the character of Philippe Mignon, Domingo aims to give their audience the permission to be playful and celebrate feelin

08/09/2026

Open House registration at tinyurl.com/afire-open-house or check the link in our bio!

Join us on Wednesday, September 23 to connect with AFIRE's team of leaders and community partners. Our doors are open to those who have attended our events previously, are interested or values-aligned with our work but have never attended before, and those ready to dive in and grow alongside us. We are excited to share our work with you and get to know different Filipinx/a/o partners and allies in the room. See you soon!

Image: 3 graphics with text and AFIRE's logos against a yellow, blue, and red background with different color shapes and lines

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00

AFIRE Chicago

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

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24/09/2026

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08/09/2026

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