KQTx National Steering Committee

Min (he/him/she/her) is a queer second-generation Korean American based in the unceded lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, affectionately known as San Francisco. By day, he channels his focus as a Discovery Oncology biologist, but his true passion lies in cultivating connection and joy across different fields. He is a co-founder of Sam-Cha Bay Area and a former board member of the Prism Foundation. Min is deeply motivated by the importance of celebrating intersectionality and ensuring visibility for all, working to build a supportive network where people feel empowered and seen. When she steps away from community organizing and research, Min pursues creative hobbies—from letterpress and watercolor to baking and poetry—and is often found enjoying live performances. He looks forward to contributing to the continued growth and connection within the KQTx network.

Jang (he/him) is a 1.5-generation Korean American living on the land of the Adshusheer (colonially known as Durham, NC). He currently manages a transplant immunology research lab at Duke University, while also building joyful, affirming spaces for queer and trans Asian communities across North Carolina. His community work includes Triangle Asian & Pacific Islander Queers (TAPIQ), Out in STEM (oSTEM), the House of Coxx drag family, and of course, the Korean Queer & Trans National Network (KQTx), where he has served on the steering committee since 2021.

When he’s not organizing or supporting community efforts, Jang loves diving into new hobbies—magic, content creation, Olympic weightlifting, and gaming—believing deeply in the joy of learning and growing without needing to be the best.

Through his work with KQTx, Jang hopes to continue shaping spaces where Korean queer and trans people can find connection, affirmation, and a sense of home, both with each other and within themselves..

Emma Koontz (they/them) is a biracial, queer, and gender-queer second-generation American. A former debate kid from a predominantly white city and a proud Queerean, they are determined to build a world where people can succeed because of their identities—not in spite of them. Guided by equity as their North Star, Emma works at the intersection of community engagement and city planning to meaningfully include marginalized communities in public processes, helping reshape not only our built environments but also our systems of governance.

Outside of work, Emma serves on the Pride Commission of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Boston and enjoys traveling, literary analysis, and drawing.

Through their work with KQTx, Emma hopes to foster community rooted in unity rather than sameness, belonging rather than fitting in, and identity grounded in lived experience rather than the expectations of dominant culture.

Talon (she/her) is a queer Korean transracial, transnational adoption survivor and emerging found poetry analog paper collage artist, who uses multimedia as a form of resistance to disrupt the adoptee narrative.  Through her art practice she invites critical inquiry of white saviorism’s role in transnational, transracial adoption.  Therefore, her work is not just a collage; it is a catalyst, an attestation, and a belief in the power of transformation.

She has served on the KQTx Steering Committee since 2022, where she is the lead for the Infrastructure and Development subcommittee (aka the BS).  She also facilitates the Korean Queer Trans Adoptee (QTKAD) affinity space.  In her previous professional life, Talon was an accountant and property manager, who owned her own business and retired it in 2021.