We’re thrilled to introduce you to our newest full-time Hate Crime and Violence Monitoring Officer, Chu Thanh Ha (He/Him), and our newest part-time Social Media Officer, Arra Yee (She/Her)!
Chu Thanh Ha (He/Him)
An activist at heart, Ha is an passionate transgender advocate and senior researcher, and has engaged in policy advocacy, community mobilization, movement building, and public education in Vietnam. With APTN, he wishes to understand harmful practices targeting the trans community, and how to strengthen community capacity to document hate crimes.
Some of his notable achievements include the legalization of legal gender recognition for transgender people (through Article 37 of the Civil Code 2015), the subsequent drafting of the Law on Gender Affirmation (with the Ministry of Health). Ha also represents IT’S T TIME in various organizations and working group, such as C4TRANS (Coalition for Transgender Rights in Vietnam) and other international forums. Ha is also currently serving as Trans Representative of the ILGA Asia Executive Board Member for the year 2022-2024.
His favourite queer media is Saving Face – as the first queer film he watched when he was 18, it helped him navigate his personal journey learning about who he is, and explore who he can love.
In his free time, Ha loves to dabble in the intricate art of coffee making and mixology. He is extremely proud of the flavours he can produce, and has even helped manage a local bar for a year.
Arra Yee (She/Her)
Arra is a trans lesbian feminist who is passionate about creating a welcoming world for queer and trans folk, and an equal society for everyone. She has helped setting up queer communal spaces in her home country, and wishes to continue spreading queer joy in APTN.
Her favourite queer media is The Owl House – she loves it for all the casual queer representation, and gives her hope for a future where everyone is free to express themselves however they like.
Arra absolutely loves cute spooky stuff, and in her free time, she enjoys music, voice acting, D&D, and listening to two-hour YouTube essays.
We look forward to work with them to amplify trans voices and stories, and forward our efforts to make a safer society for trans folks in Asia Pacific!