Good evening and welcome to a special edition of The Yappie’s Asian American politics and activism briefing, dedicated to Asian women’s voices and experiences. Support our work by making a donation and send tips to [email protected].
The Big Story
? ANALYSIS — ATLANTA, ASIAN FETISHIZATION, AND THE IMPACTS OF WHITE SUPREMACY: The horrifying rampage in Georgia that left six Asian women dead has spurred outcry over the historical fetishization of Asian women — and a closer examination of how misogyny, racism, and violence are often intertwined. Shawna Chen and Giboom Park explain…
- The details: The gunman responsible for Tuesday’s attacks claimed that he targeted three massage parlors due to a “sexual addiction,” with the businesses being “a temptation” to “eliminate.” But while law enforcement officials said that it was too early to determine whether the shootings were racially motivated, the U.S. has “long stereotyped Asian women as objects of white male fantasies in popular culture,” Shawna reports for Axios.
- Why this matters: Sociologist Pawan Dhingra said that because of this history of hypersexualization, race can be considered a factor in attacks on Asian women — especially if the perpetrator treats them as sex objects. “If you think about sex work as a moral problem that must be eradicated — because Asian American women do kind of fit a profile of historically being in this role — it’s hard to separate race from this even if the motivation wasn’t anti-Asian.”
- Context: Anti-Asian hate isn’t new. It’s arguably woven into the nation’s DNA — think the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese American incarceration, anti-miscegenation laws, etc. Lawmakers specifically barred Chinese women from entry through the Page Act in 1875, equating them to immoral prostitutes that would “corrupt” white men and the institution of marriage. As a result, Chinese women who did find themselves in the U.S. were usually undocumented, forced to work for low wages, and often pushed into sex work.
- Fast forward: White supremacy and domination of the Asian body are inherently connected, experts say. And with hate incidents surging, the pandemic has combined the pre-existing fetishization of Asian women with the disease, reinforcing the sense of “Othering.” AAPI women are more than twice as likely to report bias incidents as men, including hate-motivated sexual assaults. Even before COVID, they routinely experienced “racialized misogyny,” according to National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum executive director Sung Yeon Choimorrow.
- The reality: For working-class Asian women who have carved out a space in the sex work industry, the fetishization and dehumanization of their bodies have contributed to a cycle of violence against them. Stigma surrounding the sex industry has also limited sex workers’ ability to seek help from law enforcement, especially if they aren’t native English speakers, as illustrated by the “shocking and painful case of police abuse” seen in the 2017 death of Yang Song, Diana Lu writes for Hyphen.
? Find The Yappie’s full analysis here and explore more coverage…
- Insider’s Kristie-Valerie Hoang: “Anti-Asian violence is part of an epidemic of racism but here’s why you’re only hearing about it now.”
- NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam: “Racism, sexism must be considered in Atlanta case involving killing of six Asian women, experts say.”
- CNN’s Harmeet Kaur: “Fetishized, sexualized and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence.”
- Newsy’s Cat Sandoval: “Asian women in focus in Atlanta attacks.”
- MTV News’ Yoonj Kim: “How harmful stereotypes and rhetoric contribute to violence against Asian women and marginalized communities.”
- BuzzFeed News’ Tanya Chen: “Asian women are hypersexualized, so don’t tell me the killings in Atlanta aren’t about race.”
- The Atlantic’s Morgan Ome: “Why this wave of anti-Asian racism feels different.”
- The Sacramento Bee’s Ashley Wong and Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks: “Sacramento Asian communities, stunned by Atlanta shootings, demand change.”
- The Yappie’s Giboom Park: “Not Your Yellow Fantasy: Deconstructing the Legacy of Asian Fetishization.”
The Biden Era
? UPDATE — AG MEETS VIRTUALLY WITH AAPI GROUPS: Attorney General Merrick Garland discussed the attacks in Atlanta with nearly a dozen Asian American advocacy organizations on Wednesday, four sources familiar with the meeting tell The Yappie, marking the first time the nation’s top law enforcement official has directly engaged with activists since the start of the pandemic. The news was first reported by the Washington Post’s David Nakamura.
- The details: Sources described the call as a “good meeting” and that Garland committed to working with the AAPI community towards change. Advocates also expressed concerns about the Atlanta Police Department’s “haste decision” to disregard a racial motive in Tuesday’s slayings.
- Why this matters: The Yappie’s Andrew Peng wrote in Tuesday’s newsletter that the focus is now squarely on Garland, who pledged in February that the Department of Justice would “vigorously” prosecute hate crimes targeting Asian Americans. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus also held initial discussions with DOJ officials last week.
WHITE HOUSE RAMPS UP ENGAGEMENT AFTER ATLANTA RAMPAGE: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak with AAPI legislators and activists about the “ongoing attacks and threats against the community” during their visit to Atlanta on Friday, the White House says.
- Plus… The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was also scheduled to discuss the shootings with advocacy groups on Thursday, The Yappie has learned, and Axios reports that senior Biden administration officials reached out to Asian American lawmakers almost immediately after Tuesday’s shootings.
- What’s next: The Biden administration hosted multiple listening sessions with AAPI advocates earlier this month. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that the administration plans to hold more sessions, adding that a meeting between community groups and the Department of Health and Human Services is likely in the works.
On The Hill
? RADAR — The House of Representatives voted 228–197 to pass legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants who come to the U.S. as children.
?️ UPDATE — HOUSE PANEL PROBES SPIKE IN HATE CRIMES: AAPI advocates and lawmakers from both parties testified Thursday before a key House Judiciary subcommittee about the rise in discrimination against Asian Americans. The hearing marked the first time Congress has specifically examined anti-Asian violence in over 30 years, USA Today’s Nicholas Wu writes.
- In the day’s most passionate moment, Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) forcefully rebuked Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) after he complained about the event, saying: “This hearing was to address the pain of our community, to find solutions. And we will not let you take our voice away from us.”
ICYMI — TAI TAKES CHARGE: The Senate unanimously confirmed Katherine Tai as U.S. Trade Representative on Wednesday, ensuring that the Biden administration will have at least one Asian American serving at the Cabinet level in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris, The Yappie’s Andrew Huang and Dan Hu note. Tai was sworn in on Thursday.
- The Senate HELP Committee also voted 16–6 to advance the nomination of Vivek Murthy for U.S. surgeon general.
Resources
✍️ A QUICK NOTE — While many of these resources were reader-submitted and reviewed by our editors, we strongly recommend that you carefully inspect each link before taking action — especially if you are looking to donate. The opinions expressed in these resources are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Yappie team. If you would like to submit additional links, email [email protected] or send a message to our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
- “Donate to support the victims and their families and to support crisis interventions” by Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Atlanta
- “How to support the AAPI community in a time of hate and violence” by Sarah Belle Lin
- “Bystander intervention training to stop anti-Asian and xenophobic harassment” by Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC and Hollaback
- “Report a hate incident” by Stop AAPI Hate
- “Guidance on Atlanta shootings” by the Asian American Journalists Association
- “Resources for Asian migrant and sex working communities” by Red Canary Song
- “Legal resources for Asian and migrant sex workers” by Butterfly
- “Community resources for AAPI workers” by Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus
- “Asian American Community Resources” by Sasponella
- “AAPI Journalists Therapy Relief Fund” by Sonia Weiser
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1–800–273–8255
- Asian LifeNet Hotline: 1–877–990–8585 (available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Fujianese)
- Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project Hotline: 202–833–2233
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