Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot

In the city of celebrity, there's no question more popular than "Who's Hot?" Well, as the summer sizzles, we thought we'd redefine "hot," because no matter how you look on the outside, we're moved by the people who make us melt on the inside. For the second year, Frontiers polled friends and readers, asking for names of some of Southern California's unsung heroes—people who make Los Angeles such a dynamic and interesting city. After sorting through the suggestions, we chose Angelenos we found inspiring, innovative, or just plain interesting. This is by no means a definitive list, but we think it reflects a diverse cross segment of the best of our LGBT community. We hope that these profiles inspire us all to become more active and visible in our city. Who knows, maybe you'll be on the list next year?

Christoph Babka

Community Motivator

WHY HIM: He may have already made huge strides as a young producer in this media town, but Christoph Babka's star power shines when he is raising thousands and rallying hundreds to give back to gay L.A. as the president of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Young Professionals Counsel.

ROOTS OF INSPIRATION: “I came out at 18 and was thrown into the gay scene to try and find my identity, and through that I found the most validation I received, the most rewarding experiences I had, was when I was being a part of something greater than myself or a cause that I could believe in.”

NOT ONE TO BE LIMITED BY NUMBERS: Babka is proud to boast his group's fundraising success. The YPC is committed to raising $100,000 this year (double last year's amount), and half way through '08 they are already well pass $50,000. “We're also launching a YPC advocates program. We have a fixed number of members, but what we'd like to do is reach out to the community to people who might not want full membership, but would like to participate, help brainstorm, create their own fundraisers that would have the YPC support. We're trying to create openings for people to be extraordinary themselves—in their own way—in the community. We're trying to grow a community of people.”

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: “L.A. is an environment with the worst vices and the greatest recovery. I have over two years of sobriety and that is definitely what I am most proud of in myself because everything I have today is rooted in that foundation.... Out here sobriety isn't something that is locked in a church basement with fluorescent lights. It's something you celebrate.” —JEFF KATZ

Derick Bell

Veteran Model

WHY HIM: At only 23 years old, Bell is a veteran of both the Iraq War and reality TV. In separate deployments in Fullujah and Anbar Provinces, the Mississippi native served with the Grunt transporting medic unit in the Marines where he routinely carried an M-16 and a 9 millimeter. Even though the experience left him with several visible scars, Bell pursued a modeling career after he left the service.

WALK THIS WAY: His first gig brought him to Los Angeles for Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. The show resulted in a contract with Next Models.

IF HE BUILDS IT: In his free time [when he's not protecting our country], Derick is a construction manager and an all-around nice guy.

PHILOSOPHY: "Life is for living, not watching and wishing. I'm always keeping an open interest in discovering new adventure." —WILL COLEY

Joyti J. Chand

The Organizer

WHY HER: As the Lead Community Organizer at South Asian Network (SAN), Chandi advocates for community members who have faced discrimination, worker's rights violations and police brutality and violence.

BACK STORY: Chandi immigrated to the U.S. at the age of nine from Fiji and has devoted her adult career to exposing the injustices committed against immigrants and communities of color, LGBTIQ-identified and working-class people, and other oppressed communities. Under her leadership, SAN released their first ever LGBTIQ South Asian report titled "No More Denial! Giving Visibility to the Needs of the South Asian LGBTIQ Community in Southern California."

START HER UP: Chand often begins her community meetings by reaffirming how fabulous and sexy everyone in the room is… including herself.

WORDS TO LIVE BY: "I look up to Eugene Debs. Here are two quotes that inspire me: ‘While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free’ and ‘I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a citizen of the world.’" —W.C.

Billy Cogar

Sensational Scout

WHY HIM: The director of development at here! Networks says of his work: “Through the network I've been able to hire 25 gay writers in the past two years,” says Cogar. “For many it was their first paid writing job. I couldn't be luckier to be part of it all.”

PLEASE COME A KNOCKIN’: “I am always looking for writers. ... I have an open door policy. I don't want to be a gatekeeper that prevents fresh talent from being heard. You never know when you'll find that diamond in the rough.”

SURVIVAL IN GAY ENTERTAINMENT: “There is a misconception in this business that you have to be nasty to get things done; this couldn't be further from the truth.”

THE RATED 'R' KID: “My dad recognized my taste for the bizarre and inappropriate. ... One weekend, he handed me a copy of Pink Flamingos. He let me watch Alien and Halloween. I was absolutely hooked. It was a turning point in how I looked at movies.” —MICHAEL SVOBODA

Leonardo Colemon

Safer Sex Scholar

WHY HIM: Colemon works with the likes of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Friends Research Institute, AIDS Project Los Angeles, L.A. County/Harbor Medical Center, and the UCLA CARE Clinic in developing and implementing research to develop effective strategies to increase our community's ability to have safe and healthy sex lives. On motivation to do this work: “Faith that the outcomes of my work and others I work with will eventually lead to the greater good.”

HOW IT ALL BEGAN: Aware and affected by unaddressed heterosexism/homophobia issues and its mental health effects within the LGBT community, Colemon saw parallels to the African-American community—both require sustained attention, contemplation, and action. “I've long been drawn to a life and career path that connects concerns with passions and I have found this to be a way to bring together my interests with my talents and academic background.”

WORDS TO MOVE YOU: “You are the one you've been waiting for.”
—JOCELYN LOREN

Masen Davis

Gender Authority

WHY HIM: His resume speaks for itself; Davis is not only the Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center (the first transgender civil rights organization in California) but also co-founder of FTM Alliance of Los Angeles, a member of Liberty Hill Foundation's Lesbian & Gay Funding Board and a board member of Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues.

POWERFUL MOMENT: Upon his acceptance of the position with the Transgender Law Center, Davis' father disowned him, an act that, though hurtful, further galvanized his dedication to the LGBT civil rights movement. “As long as youth are being cast out of their families, and people see shame in difference, I will be committed to this work.”

HOW WE CAN HELP: In addition to defeating the anti-marriage ballot initiative, Davis stresses the need for community support. “Most transgender organizations do incredible work on a shoestring budget. Your support is needed and appreciated!” —BRIAN PADGETT

Erika Ervin

Transgender Health Care Advocate

WHY HER: The recent media sensation courted by Thomas Beatie, a Bend, Ore. transgender man who gave birth to a healthy baby girl last month, sparked a fresh round of cable news commentator rage against the trans community (bony-fingered air quotes surrounding Beatie's legal gender were in heavy rotation). But beyond the hype and hyperbole, positive stories on transgender health, vitality, and wellness so far this year can be found beyond the headlines, and the luminous Ervin is one. A leading advocate for insurance coverage for transgender health needs like hormone therapy, Ervin became the first transgender executive director of the Los Angeles Association of Health Underwriters in March.

POWER PLAYER: Few groups are more in need of an agent for change in the exasperating system that is American health care than trans men and women. Now with an influential seat at the table, Ervin's working to persuade insurance industry powers that be as both an advocate and a pragmatist: “I want insurance providers to see us normal, contributing members of society. But it's also important for them to realize that the cost to treat us is less than the cost not to.” —ANDREW HARMON

Dinorah Garcia

Our Children's Keeper

WHY HER: Dinorah's commitment to the Los Angeles LGBT community doesn't stop with her three years on the planning committee for the Rainbow Youth Festival, volunteering for Equality California, nor the hours of counseling queer youth. As the Mentoring Program Director of LifeWorks Mentoring, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing one-on-one and group mentoring opportunities for LGBT youth, ages 14-24, Dinorah is instrumental in matching mentees with mentors to provide positive role models, instill self-esteem, and the awareness to actualize dreams!

BIGGEST CHALLENGES: “Time and resources,” says Dinorah, who also cites that working as one-third of a three-person staff in a difficult economy can be overwhelming at times, however, the rewards of working with queer youth far outweighs the difficulties. “I am inspired by their spirits and desire to achieve more in a proud way.”

YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW: “I love reality television. The trashier, the better.”

WORDS TO LIVE BY: “We're all in this one together!”
—BRIAN PADGETT

Daniel Gould

Healthy Provider

WHY HIM: An Antioch University Los Angeles professor in the LGBT Psychology Specialization program by day, Gould has been instrumental in creating a visible and powerful trans community in Southern California with his work as co-founder of FTM Alliance of Los Angeles. Having already educated medical and social service providers as well as medical and psychology students in working with transgender people, Gould spent some time as a clinical social worker at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center before finally making the move to Equality California. Currently, Gould is working on developing a statewide coalition of LGBT-specific and LGBT-supportive providers to create a health policy agenda that will fund LGBT appropriate health services.

A COMMON DENOMINATOR: "Health is a unifying theme for all these communities. Now is the time for us to speak as a collective powerful voice about the range of health issues that need to be addressed for LGBT communities in California."

WORDS OF WISDOM: "Listen. Allow yourself to be curious about the world."
—J.L.

Jim Howley

Persuasive Personality

WHY HIM: As the first FTM on reality television, Jim has bravely allowed cameras to document both his physical transformation in the documentary series Sex Change Hospital, as well as his quest for love as a contestant on Transamerican Love Story.

TROOPER, POOPER SCOOPER, LIFE IS SUPER: After being considered AWOL from the Air Force and enduring several tumultuous years that included being placed in a mental hospital, Jim saw the Brandon Teena Story which he states was the piece of the puzzle finally cluing him in that the idea of transformation was even possible. While working as a dog waste removal technician in Hilliard Ohio, Jim was contacted by Dr. Marci Bowers about appearing on the series Sex Change Hospital. According to Jim, “at first I was a little leery but then I figured it was important to represent my community as well as publicize my upcoming book giving people another perspective on a female-to-male’s life, that fortunately, we don't all end up as tragically as Brandon did”.

LOVER BOY: While Jim didn't find romance with fellow trans personality Calpernia Addams on Transamerican Love Story, we're sure his girlfriend Elizabeth will enjoy his tasteful nude pictorial about to appear in The Advocate. —LENORA CLAIRE

Sean Patrick Lewis

Queer Eye Witness

WHY HIM: As a photojournalist for ABC7 Eyewitness News, Lewis uses his skills with a camera (and his activism without), to make sure LGBT stories get told—on and off the news. “I make it a point to know what's going on in our community and to talk to producers and assignment editors about it. LGBT issues aren't in the news everyday, but the coverage is getting better.”

GETTING THE SHOT: “A great photo is one that captures raw emotion. I think, 'Thank God I got that.'”

OUT AT WORK: I am proud of who I am. When I get asked if I have a girlfriend, I reply, 'Nope, and no boyfriend either!' Honesty works.”

LGBT YOUTH: “I hope we can be positive role models and break through the last barriers. You can't change everyone's beliefs, but you can try—and I am willing to do whatever it takes.” —JONATHAN RIGGS

Kent Martin

MIX Master

WHY HIM: With co-directors Rudy "Bleu" Garcia and Irina Contreras, Martin hopes to forge cross-connections between artists and community groups with experimental film festival MIX L.A., which is more about people than industry contacts.

IN THE MIX: L.A. is lucky to have several gay film festivals but often what is marginalized is the experimental content; the result becomes ordinary. Martin feels the question of what contemporary gay culture is all about still lingers. When he began to volunteer at MIX NYC, he discovered something wonderful, an alternative to the mainstream where outsiders came together to create, “a multi-format assortment of poetic meditations, guerrilla docs, installations, technical experiments, and pornographic imagery that sexualized a variety of body types."

GRASSROOTS AFFAIR: Somewhat new to L.A., Kent's impression of the city was that of disconnection. This became the impetuous for creating MIX L.A., which intends to remove screenings from theaters and put them into art spaces, parks, or even private spaces to emphasize the underground and activist influences and the vibrant contemporary queer art scene.
—CHAD CLARK

Elizabeth Mendia

Soldier for Life

WHY HER: Watching the way old Whittier conservatives and youth of color embrace Mendia at a recent Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project event (where she’s executive director), you know she is special, gifted with a deep sense of compassion. She was the associate director of WRHAP when she transitioned at work in 2003. After she came out as transgender, her boss Doris Wahl told her, "I don't care if you're blue, orange, and man, or a woman, you're the one I want sitting in this seat when I retire.”

FROM SELF-LOATHING TO LOVE: In 1990, Mendia was in the Army, possibly headed to Iraq when “I did what any normal red-blooded, binge-drinking, closeted soldier would do; I went out and alleviated my loneliness, and got infected. Oh, and yes, I knew I was trans then.” Through therapy, she overcame “my own crap… lot's of self loathing”—and started working in 1992 with people with HIV/AIDS.

WORDS TO LIVE BY: “I believe life is short—and full of wonder and we're here to experience, appreciate, learn about, and share that wonder with others.” —KAREN OCAMB

Ronni Sanlo

Pedagogue Extraordinaire

WHY HER: Dr. Sanlo is the director of UCLA's LGBT Center and lives on campus with her partner. In addition to contributing to the academic queer community, Sanlo's accessibility, as a positive influence for LGBT students, is invaluable, and she is loved by many a current and former Bruin.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS: She lost custody of her children when she came out in 1979 and immediately got involved with the community. After earning her doctorate despite getting fired from jobs over her activism, she was offered a position with the University of Michigan. “And they were going to pay me to do work for which I'd often been fired in Florida!”

POWERFUL MOMENT: “Receiving the signed honors thesis in 1997 from a young man who had a near-successful suicide two years earlier,” which she keeps in her office.

IN CONCLUSION: “I am blessed to have two wonderful children and two precious grandchildren. Today, they are part of my loving family. My son, who's gay, lives here in Los Angeles.” —BRIAN PADGETT

Christopher Landavazo

Officer and a Gentleman

WHY HIM: Christopher Landavazo has three loves: his family, his community, and his country—and he's doing everything possible to make them all proud. Whether he is raising thousands with his nonprofit organization, Cops 4 Causes, or taking grandma out to MJ's, this hot cop and former Navy air traffic controller is giving us a new respect for the law.

THE BEAT RUNS IN HIS BLOOD: With a father and brother wearing the badge and another brother in the firehouse, a life outside of protecting others never seemed desirable. “Literally, my last day in the Navy was also my first day of academy. I've just always been public service oriented.” And staying in the academy closet wasn't desirable either. “My coming out was actually in a briefing. I kind of just came out and said it. 'Hey, if there is anyone who has an issue with the fact that I am gay, we need to discuss that now.' … Police departments are slow to change. It has taken time for minority groups to be welcomed in, so I knew at that time that that was going to be my mission at that police department. I think I taught them a lot, but I think I learned a lot, too. A lot about my capabilities.”

WHEN HE IS NOT KEEPING US SAFE: Landavazo is probably cramming for a test. That's because aside from pulling late-night shifts and running a nonprofit, he is also in a select masters program at USC for leadership. And after the program, he just may be off to Capitol Hill.

A MUST READ: “I keep the Declaration of Independence and Constitution on my night stand and I try to read them weekly. It simply inspires me.” —J.K.

Allison Moon

Cultural Club Bunny

WHY HER: As the Production Manager for the Lily Tomlin Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Program at the Gay & Lesbian Center, the delightfully free spirited Moon is as passionate about the arts as a means of personal expression as she is enthusiastic about creating a community where those can voice that expression.

PHASES OF THE MOON: Originally from Ohio, Moon studied Neuroscience at Oberlin College but it was a career in television that first brought her to Los Angeles. Now, fully immersed in the art world Moon is “really proud of the caliber of artists brought in to the gallery as well as the range of people who come in to see them.” Moon is especially excited to give artists their first solo show such as JP the craft captain at Akbar who will soon be displaying the one-a-day postcard project she has been working on for 10 years.

CENTER OF THE MOON: When not at the Gay & Lesbian Center, polyamorous pansexual Moon can be found organizing the Queer Womens Camp at Burning Man where individuals are encouraged to come to discuss gender identity, sexuality, and how it all applies to radical self expression.
—LENORA CLAIRE

Vincent Jones

Politico Pal

WHY HIM? He's all about nurturing a strong, fearless, engaged youth to leave this world in good hands as associate director of the National Teen Leadership Program. And Jones' practices what he preaches—he is a former success of the motivational program, which he credits to helping him find his passion and mission to “change the world.”

FAMILY MAN: “The people who inspire me are the people that are closest to me: my mother, who sacrificed a lot to raise me as a single teenage mother; my grandparents, who work really hard to create a strong family environment. The three of them made me see family is very important.”

POLITICAL FEVER: Co-hosting the Barack Obama post-Logo debate fundraiser may be a life highlight, but this election year is tough on the soul. “It's been an emotional rollercoaster. I have an intense admiration for Obama. I'm not one to cry, I'm not one who gets very emotional. But I have probably teared up more in this past year than I can remember in a long time. … Thinking about he and Michelle on the steps of the White House for Inauguration, I never believed in my lifetime that it would be possible. And it says so much about the country and about the Democratic Party. The American dream does exist. ... He renewed my faith that it is possible.”

STAYING FIT: Jones is actually responsible for pushing the legislation in New York to get junk food and soda out of the hands of the 1.1 million kids in NYC public schools.

WORDS TO LIVE BY: “Shoot for the moon because even if you miss you'll still be among the stars.” —J.K.

Hrair Sarkisian

Dance Club Curator

WHY HIM: Co-founded (with Gev Khudyan) one of the only weekly Middle Eastern themed club nights in the world, regularly drawing around 400 people.

SUMMIT ON THE DANCE FLOOR: Like a mini-Mid East summit, Club Nur (Arabic for “light”), is complete with a jumping dance floor and hookah lounge, serving as a de facto meet up for a rainbow of cultures, ethnicities, and identities, and the men who love them. “We are the only Armenian run club that plays Turkish music. … You have Israelis dancing next to Palestinians; it's like the ideal Middle East.”

BEYOND THE HOOKAH: Promoted almost exclusively the first year through MySpace (www.myspace.com/clubnur), the Web page now boasts nearly 17,000 friends from all over the world. Five or 10 years ago, there were individual meetings for gay men from different Mid-East countries and cultures, now they have one spot to mix it up. “It had to have a socializing aspect. We have a custom of talking and socializing much more than Westerners.”

LOVE TO BE FOUND: “I met my partner through the club. ... We are going to get married soon now.” (Club Nur is held every Thursday night at MJ's in Silver Lake.) —M.S.

Dave O'Brien

MOving Movie Maker

WHY HIM: A good deal of O'Brien's library of film work involves LGBT themes. Current projects include: In the Moment, an HIV prevention campaign in conjunction with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the City of West Hollywood combining Web soap opera with online community features to launch conversation among young gay men on making sexual decisions; and Equality U, a feature documentary that screened at this year's Outfest among other festivals. “There are 200 colleges in the U.S. where we can be kicked out simply for being gay, and Equality U follows a group of young activists from the group Soulforce on a cross-country bus tour to confront 19 of those schools on their policies.”

FATEFUL BEGINNINGS: A chance dinner with Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and AIDS activist Larry Kramer, nurtured the seed of activism: “Work within the legislature and the courts is important, but at the end of the day, peoples' hearts and minds are changed by authentic stories of peoples' lives.”

WORDS TO INSPIRE: “Follow your passions and happiness will follow.” —J.L.

Jen Plante

Rainbow Thespian

WHY HER: As the delightful titular character in this show aimed at young children of lesbian and gay parents, Plante makes interacting with a room full of puppets both fun and educational. Not many actors could so naturally share scenes with talking couch cushions and characters like James the Flower and Uncanny the Singing Can.

ON BEING GROUNDBREAKING: Until Dottie's Magic Pockets appeared in 2007, there were no shows aimed at this rapidly growing demographic, and there still aren't. "There were zero gay families represented in kids' shows online, on DVD, and still none on television," Plante notes. Additionally, Dottie was funded by only a small number of independent professionals wanting to see a show like this get made.

WHY KIDS OF GAY PARENTS NEED TV LIKE THIS: "Personally, I feel it's important for kids who have two moms or two dads to see themselves represented in media," Plante says. "It makes a huge difference in feeling accepted and validated by the world around us, and this is something we have a responsibility to create for our children. … There is a universal message here, which is about fun, learning, and diversity that is important to put out there in today's world." —MIKEL WADEWITZ

(Karaoke) Kenny Morse

King of Comedy

WHY HIM: The former Broadway star and showbiz veteran turned his WeHo karaoke shows into a cultural institution, 18 years running, becoming the #1 most requested comedy traffic school teacher in California. “In a town known for its fickle nature, we have endured an amazing run and it keeps going!”

NEVER SING: “'Stairway to Heaven,' 'American Pie' or 'Baby Got Back.' Any Meat Loaf song—unless you've got a kickass voice.”

SECRET WEAPON: “My amazing sound guy, John Williams (JW) can make you sound like you're singing in a concert hall.”

A LEGACY IN SONG: “I have provided venues for a few generations now to sing or to listen in a joyful way. In a world of so many things that leave us breathlessly numb to events and our own selves, I provide a place, a chance, for anyone to break out into song. I have never taken this privilege for granted these 18 years.” —J.R.

Sabrina Smith

Community Coordinator

WHY HER: As Organizing Director of SCOPE, Smith is spearheading the development of the L.A. Apollo Alliance's Green Jobs Campaign, whose mission is to build support for a green economy in order to create jobs for low-income people of color in South Los Angeles, build healthier and safer communities, and promote community-based land use.

AUTHENTIC DEMOCRAT: Sabrina gets her inspiring momentum from the people with whom she works and meets, learning of their struggles and passions. She helps people make sense out of the confusion of politics, thus empowering them to make informed decisions about policies that affect their lives.

KEEP THE FAITH: Sabrina helps to heal the damage caused by oppression because she understands change is possible. She encourages you to drive through South L.A. and look for hospitals, parks, or community organizations; they are practically nonexistent. This is a very different landscape than WeHo; a landscape Sabrina intends to change. —C. C.

Thomas Watson

Equality Crusader

WHY HIM: He's been fighting for marriage equality since college, most recently as one of the founders of Love Honor Cherish. “This is our moment. Not next year. Not five years from now. This is the time to stop sitting on the sidelines and tell all your friends and family to vote no on Proposition 8. Get involved. We need your help.”

GIVER: Besides his time, he's also significantly donated his own money to this cause. “I want every child to grow up to marry the person that he or she loves, regardless of whether that ends up being a man or a woman. This is about equality.”

FAVE HOBBY: “My partner, Andrew.”

INSPIRATION: “After coming out, I experienced firsthand some of the discrimination—even hatred—directed at gay people. I wanted to learn how to fight back for myself and others, so I became a lawyer.” —J. R.

Michael Shepperd

Dramatic Scribe

WHY HIM: Not only has this Los Angeles talent enlivened the stages of many a SoCal black box theater, but he has diversified the city in another fierce way. His stage adaptation of the revered novel, Coffee Will Make You Black, recently played to sold out houses in West Hollywood, entertwining the unique (and often ignored) voices of the African American and LGBT communities. Come October, Shepperd will step in as Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed (and oh-so very gay, gay, gay) Celebration Theatre, bringing his bright voice to one of our city's time-honored theatrical traditions.

DADDY, MAY I? Shepperd more than talks his talk, but he walks his sexy sauntering walk. A proud father of two (a duty shared with his long-term partner, Hutch Foster) his lively 5-year-old, Sebastian, and beautiful 2-year-old, Maxwell Pearl, keep this WeHo mover and shaker on the daddy-patrol go!

PHILOSOPHY: “Live your dream!"
—MICHAEL ANTHONY

Marshall Wong

Hate Crimes Watchdog

WHY HIM: More hate crimes happen than are reported in the news. Wong is the principle author of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission’s annual hate crime report (for 2007, sexual orientation was the third largest category with 102 overall incidents) and he provides training to law enforcement and service providers. Wong is proudest of the Commission’s work to combat the anti-Muslim/Middle Eastern backlash that occurred after September 11, and their ongoing work in high schools to reduce racial, homophobic, religious, and other forms of bigotry.

AFTER HOURS: Wong also serves as the co-chair of API Equality-LA, a coalition formed in 2005 in response to anti-LGBT demonstrations by conservative Asian-American religious congregations against same-sex marriage. “We have marched through the streets of Chinatown, recruited supporters at ethnic festivals in the Japanese, South Asian, and Filipino communities, held briefings for the Asian-language media, and mobilized Asian-American organizations” and Asian-American elected officials, he says. The growing positive response is “a sign of the future.”

PHILOSOPHY: Wong learned from his parents that “over time, hope and knowledge trump fear.”—K.O.