Cameron PajYeeb Yang

I am a second-generation HMong American queer, trans and non-binary individual born, raised, and still residing in Saint Paul, Mni Sota Makoce. Through a variety of different storytelling methods (e.g., film, photography, radio, essays, academic research, etc.), my artistic and academic focus aims to uplift the most non-dominant and impacted voices of the Hmong American and LGBTQI+ communities in order to transform and/or abolish inequitable and unjust systems and institutions.

Previously under my film production company, PY Production, I produced my first independent feature-length film, "Taboo;” depicting a love story with a vision to inspire and change the perspective of the Hmong American community’s cultural understanding of love. I was also the co-founder and co-producer of Nplooj Radio, a Hmong LGBTQIA+ radio show that provided a brave space for non-dominant communities through arts, music, culture, and dialogues. During my time as an SPNN DocU Fellow, I produced a feature-length documentary that explored my family’s intergenerational trauma. "Peb/Us Three" encompassed my mother and grandmother's experiences and stories as single mothers while raising children within a Western and patriarchal society. Most recently, I led and supported the communications and public relations strategy for the Justice for Yia Xiong Campaign. The campaign seeks justice for the unjust police murder of Yia Xiong, a 64-year-old HMong elder who had a hearing disability. Through this campaign, I was featured on Minnesota Public Radio and Sahan Journal's 2023 Transgender and Non-Binary Change Makers Series for Pride Month.