Creating space and building community for Queer and Trans Filipinx folks 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇭

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Our mission is to build and foster a community of like-minded LGBTQ+ Filipinx folks, friends, and allies who come together to celebrate Queer and Filipinx culture.

This mission is supported by 4 pillars:

1. Culture

Learn and connect with our Filipinx culture, heritage, and community by embracing cultural traditions, food, language, music, dance, and the arts, along with educating ourselves about the past and present political conditions of our home nation to better effect positive change.

2. Community

Give back to our communities—both LGBTQ+ and Filipinx—through charity, fundraising, philanthropy, volunteering, etc., and represent our culture and pride via social outreach and promoting social causes that promote togetherness and positivity.

3. Mentorship

Provide mentorship to fellow Filipinx LGBTQ+ who seek guidance and role models.

4. Empowerment

Create a safe, positive, and respectful environment for all members to freely express their true selves, be open to sharing feelings and stories without fear of judgment, and show empathy towards one another.

How do I become a member?

There's no real "membership" to being part of Barkada NYC. We welcome everyone to our events regardless of how you identify. Follow us on Instagram (@barkadanyc), and sign-up for our email list to make sure you don't miss out on upcoming events.

What does Barkada NYC do?

Barkada NYC was founded by a group of friends, so being social is at our core. We love hosting a variety of events that support our mission and 4 pillars.

Our most popular event is Halo-Halo! Inspired by the dessert that literally means "mix-mix" Halo-Halo is a social happy hour where folks can meet fellow kababayans, make new friends, and catch-up with old ones.

Other past events include networking nights, Barkada Bootcamp, movie screenings, and virtual events throughout the height of the pandemic.

Do I have to pay to participate at events or be a member?

We believe that it shouldn't cost anyone to be part of and build a community. In an effort to keep our events accessible, almost all of our events are free.

Throughout the year, we also host events to fundraise for various charities and causes that we wish to support. While we may suggest a donation amount for these events, it is always optional.

We do not collect membership dues or have an operational budget, so we ocassionally will host an event with a low cover charge. If you wish to attend such events but cannot pay the cover due to financial hardship, please email us at mybarkadanyc@gmail.com.

How was Barkada NYC started?

Barkada NYC was started in October 2019 by a group of friends who wanted to get to know more about our Filipino culture and do something for the community, specifically for gay, Queer, and Trans folks. This group of friends included Ceazar Cabreros, Rhys de la Cruz, Paul De Leon, Elouie Gaspar, Elben Heramis, Jan Erik Navoa, Peter Pasco, and Ted Torres.

The first Barkada NYC event was a small happy hour at Ugly Kitchen in the East Village of Manhattan. Since then, Barkada NYC has hosted numerous happy hours, dinners, fundraisers, bootcamps, movie screenings, and virtual events.

We're always looking for ways to support LGBTQ+ and/or Filipinx businesses, artists, performers, venues, etc. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.

Who runs Barkada NYC?

The organization is currently led by a leadership committee of 6 co-founding members:

Ceazar Cabreros, Paul De Leon, Elouie Gaspar, Jan Erik Navoa, Peter Pasco, and Ted Torres

Previous leadership members include:

Rhys De La Cruz, Elben Heramis, Gerald Fernando, and Karlo Montegrico

Copyright©️2023 Barkada NYC. Proudly Made in NY ♥️