In January of 2021, we were invited to co-facilitate a teach-in that focused on the intersection of queer and Asian American identities at the LSA Annual Meeting. Exclusion and xenophobia have been part and parcel of the Asian experience in America since before American history began. Although public scrutiny was sparse in the beginning months of the ordeal, scholars and activists have helped to raise awareness not only about the alarming rise of racially-motivated attacks, but also about the entrenchment of anti-Asian racism in American history. The botched governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic was directly responsible for an increase in hate crimes against people of Asian descent in the United States. It has been a tumultuous year for Asian America. By: Andrew Cheng, UC Irvine and Nick Mararac, Georgetown University