The Cut Fruit Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Moon interviews Clara Lee, who shares about her experience of parenting her son who came out first as bi as a teenager, and then trans a few years later. Clara dives deep into her story of immigration, her initial reactions when her child came out to her, how she navigated her own family, and what she learned about herself throughout the process of supporting her son and "coming out" as a parent of a queer son.

CLARA LEE is a proud Korean mother of a queer, bisexual son with trans experience. She is the founder of API Rainbow Parents of PFLAG NYC that provides support for LGBTQ individuals and families of Asian heritage and addresses culture-specific needs of the API community since 2012. She is currently serving on the PFLAG NYC Board of Director. She is also a co-founder of Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP), a network of Korean parents and family with LGBTQ loved ones. KARP hosted the Korean American LGBTQ Seminar in DC in 2016 and in NYC in 2018 as part of KQTCon to create a welcoming space for Korean parents with LGBTQ children to network and learn.

Clara was honored at the Stonewall Community Foundation’s Vision Awards Celebration in 2018 and at the New York City Council Pride Celebration in 2017 and received the Community Catalyst Award from NQAPIA (National Queer Asian & Pacific Islander Alliance) for her work in 2015. Clara appeared in a number of interviews including Korean American Story and Asian American Life at CUNY.TV to advocate for LGBTQ causes especially in the API/Korean American community.

Clara lives in Brooklyn and works for a fortune 100 financial company as a software engineer.

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This episode was sponsored by Inclusive Therapists, a simpler, safer way for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and marginalized folks to find culturally-responsive, identity-affirming mental health care. You can find them at inclusivetherapists.com or @inclusivetherapists.