#24 Discovering our voice & living our unapologetic truth with Amazin Lêthi

07/30/20 • 97 min

In this episode, we are joined by Amazin LeThi, LGBTQ+ sports ambassador, former competitive bodybuilder, entertainment executive, and fitness author to chat about current events and her life journey. We talk about trans-racial issues, equity and representation in media, and body positivity, homelessness in our queer community, and so much more.

Amazin LeThi (she/her) is an Athlete Ally and Stonewall sports ambassador, former competitive bodybuilder, entertainment executive and the first Vietnamese internationally published fitness author. Through her personal journey of homelessness she founded the Amazin LeThi Foundation. Amazin has shared her story for ‘Its Gets Better’ campaign and the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Asian anti-bullying campaign 'Act to Change'. She has been recognized by GLAAD and NQAPIA for her LGBTQ advocacy. She was the first Asian LGBTQ Athlete in 2020 to be honoured at the Brooklyn Nets 4th Annual Pride Night, she has also been listed in the Australian Pride Power List, Out 100 List, Go Magazine 100 Women We Love List, 2020 Global Changemakers and acknowledged in the Human Rights Campaign - Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Honours list.

On this episode we talk about:

Managing through this current pandemic and ways Amazin is finding balance of news with classical music and fitness
Her story growing up in Saigon and being adopted into a trans-racial family in Australia
The complexities of racism and prejudice between trans-racial adoptees and their family
Getting involved with weight training as the only queer and Asian individaul as an eight year old.
Going back to Vietnam and reconnecting with her Asian identity
The duality of identity between East and Western culture, hypersexualized and de-sexualized Asian men and women in media
Becoming open to vulnerability and accepting ourselves unconditionally
Body positivity within the queer community and gender roles we are often asked to play into
Queer Asian representation in our media, education and history books
Homelessness and its impact to our LGBTQ+ youth, mental health, and livelihoods
The power of solidarity and sharing our stories together

You can find Amazin at:

amazinlethi.com

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook (@AmazinLeThi)

You can follow me at:

Instagram (instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi)

YouTube (youtube.com/stevenwakabayashi)

Weekly Newsletter (mindfulmoments.substack.com)

On this episode we talk about:

Managing through this current pandemic and ways Amazin is finding balance of news with classical music and fitness
Her story growing up in Saigon and being adopted into a trans-racial family in Australia
The complexities of racism and prejudice between trans-racial adoptees and their family
Getting involved with weight training as the only queer and Asian individaul as an eight year old.
Going back to Vietnam and reconnecting with her Asian identity
The duality of identity between East and Western culture, hypersexualized and de-sexualized Asian men and women in media
Becoming open to vulnerability and accepting ourselves unconditionally
Body positivity within the queer community and gender roles we are often asked to play into
Queer Asian representation in our media, education and history books
Homelessness and its impact to our LGBTQ+ youth, mental health, and livelihoods
The power of solidarity and sharing our stories together

You can find Amazin at:

amazinlethi.com

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook (@AmazinLeThi)

You can follow me at:

Instagram (instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi)

YouTube (youtube.com/stevenwakabayashi)

Weekly Newsletter (mindfulmoments.substack.com)

Previous Episode

#23 Representation and equity in media with Ian Alexander & Vivien Ngô

I am joined by none other than Ian Alexander (Buck Vu of The OA) and Vivien Ngô (Trinh Phan of Queen Sugar) to talk about what it’s like being gaysian in the entertainment industry, their humble beginnings as children of Asian immigrants, and their latest thriller, Daughter. They share some mindful advice on how to create a more equitable workspace for queer actors and having more diverse representation for cast and crew.

IAN ALEXANDER

Ian (he/him) is an actor best known for his role as Buck Vu in the Netflix sci-fi series The OA. He will be making his video game debut as "Lev" in the highly anticipated The Last of Us Part II for Naughty Dog. Ian is a passionate advocate for transgender and racial justice, and he hopes to see more representation of transgender youth in media. When he's not on set, Ian loves taking naps and walking his dog Max.

VIVIEN NGÔ

Vivien (she/her) is most known for her role as Trinh Phan on Ava Duvernay's Queen Sugar, and roles on NCIS: New Orleans, Shameless, and films that have played at Slamdance, SXSW, Fantastic Fest, and Cannes. Other career highlights include being drowned on primetime tv, eating nước mắm on cable tv, and talking to an imaginary dagger on Shakespeare's Globe. In her free time, she enjoys browsing the web for Vietnamese memes... and dogs!

On this episode, we talk about:

What it was like navigating their queer identity with Asian immigrant families
Growing up Asian and discovering Asian pride
Experience working on The OA as one of the first trans Asian roles in media
How was it like being transformed into a video game character
Working with Ava DuVernay and learning how she casts for roles
Fundraising and leading a POC-led film, Daughter
Advice on how to casting more diverse crew and talent
Creating a more equitable work environment, especially for trans and POC
Why representation is so important in media and entertainment

GLAAD trans resources: https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources

Daughter’s Seed & Spark campaign: https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/daughter#story

You can find Ian at @ianaiexander

You can find Vivien at @vivientngo

You can follow me at:

Instagram (instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi)
YouTube (youtube.com/stevenwakabayashi)
Weekly Newsletter (mindfulmoments.substack.com)

Next Episode

#25 Moving mountains and the importance of visibility with Rain Valdez

In this episode, we are joined by Rain Valdez to talk about her journey from the Philippines and Guam to the Emmy-nominated actress and producer she is today. We talk about her Emmy-nominated show, Razor Tongue, as well as her recent work on Disclosure highlighting the impact Hollywood has had on the trans community. We have a beautiful conversation with Rain about trans talent and the importance of visibility and stories in media.

Rain Valdez is an Emmy nominated actress most notably known for Razor Tongue, Transparent and Why Women Kill. She's an award-winning filmmaker and an out and proud transgender woman and activist. Rain is also the founder of ActNOW, the first and only LGBTQIA+ acting class in Los Angeles that teaches beyond the binary.

On this episode we talk about:

COVID-19 check-in and finding motivation to get fit during quarantine
Her story growing up in the Philippines and Guam
Finding pride in her heritage and how it translates into her work
Knowing her dream to become an actress early on and getting started with her career
The struggles of finding work as an Asian and trans actress
When she quit acting and boomeranging back
What she asks herself when she questions her dreams
Her response to Disclosure on Netflix and why we need to raise trans voices now more than ever
What the Emmy nomination means to her, especially as the very first Filipina trans actress
Giving trans talent access to more opportunity to tell different stories
Why being accessible and creating a loving set is critical towards equity
Rain’s inspiration behind her acting class, ACT NOW

“Move mountains with the people that you love. Find people in your community that you want to move mountains ... you’ll find joy in creating with those people because you’re doing it together."

Show notes: