SOY's mission is to provide support education, cultural awareness, social gatherings, and advocacy to Hmong GLBT, SOY members, families, allies and the Hmong community in the Twin Cities.

HISTORY
SOY was co-founded in 2003 by Phia Xiong, a social worker for Dakota County and community member Xeng Lor.  Both saw a need in the community to have a social support group to have conversations that Hmong LGBTQ face at home, in school, at work, and/or in the community.  At the beginning, these social events revolved around potlucks, picnics, or social gatherings.

The board began to see a need in the community to provide services, health education, educational advacacy, and a safe space for Hmong LGBTQ to freely express themselves.  In 2006, the newly appointed board began having conversations on how to transition the social group to a more structured and formalized organization.  They felt that a programmatic organization would benefit the Hmong community by providing the lacking and needed services.

In January 2009, SOY hired our very first Executive Director, Kevin Xiong.  We are currently undergoing our Strategic Process, which will engage the community and stakeholders on how to move forward with a Hmong LGBT organization.  The question is not "should or shouldn't the organization exist?" but more so on "how do we work together within the equality movement?"  The responses and the community inputs will help us make decisions and set goals for the next 3-5 years.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Kevin Xiong
Executive Director
Office:  651-291-1811 ext. 201
Work Email:  kevin.xiong@shadesofyellow.org
Personal Email:  xiongkevy@aol.com

Yer Yang
Programs Assistant
Office:  651-291-1811 ext. 201
Work Email:  yer.yang@shadesofyellow.org

Address:
379 University Ave. W #204
St. Paul, MN  55103
(in the Liberty Tax office building - second floor with Hmong American Partnership)