Once upon a time there was a big black hole in Melbourne! Where do Asian lesbians look for support and to meet other Asian lesbians in Melbourne? It was a time when “the pink sofa” was in its infancy and the world didn’t end because of the Y2K problems.
In August 2000, I heard an ad on Joy Melbourne (94.9 FM) about someone wanting to start a group for Asian lesbians called Yellow Kitties. Being 1) relatively new to Melbourne, 2) not being into the “scene” and 3) having prior experience with a similar type of group in Sydney – Sydney Asian Lesbians or SAL for short, the idea of Yellow Kitties sounded good to my partner and I. The invitation was also extended to partners which was fantastic. Since anyone who know us well would know that we tend to do everything together.
So on the evening of 14 August 2000, my partner and I rocked up to Smith St Bar and Bistro for the meeting. We didn’t really know what to expect. The meeting was upstairs in a private room. The room was arranged similarly to a tutorial room, small talbles were put together to form a big rectangular table with a big hole in the middle. Sitting around the tables were a whole bunch of people (about 20 people). There were groups of people who seemed to know each other, and others who seem to not know other people. Tash, the person who placed the ad got the meeting started. We did a round of introducing ourselves and then we discussed whether the group was needed and what we thought we wanted out of the group. It was decided Yellow Kitties will be a space for Asian lesbians, their partners and friends. The group will meet monthly and a mailing list was set up to assist with communicating activites to members who can’t make it to the regular meetings.
The mailing list was set up in September 2000 with three subscribers, in 2006 the mailing list have 68 subscribers. A number of people who were at the first meeting are still involved in the group. A few years ago, Tash stepped down from her role as the “fearless leader” and foolish me I agree to set up to take her place.
