As of recently, the hate crimes against the Asian community around the world have increased tremendously. According to some sources in America the attacks have risen by 150%. As a minority group I am a firm believer in standing with other groups when under attack, as we wish the same from them. This week’s topic will cover the history of violence against the Asian community in America since the beginning of the pandemic, as well as LGBTQ+ Asian individuals who have assisted in the fight for our own protection as queer individuals.
While hate crimes against Asian Americans is not something new, dating back to the 1860’s, with COVID-19, they have been on the rise. Since the beginning of 2021, there has been a reported 20+ attacks on Asian Americans, many of them elderly, usually in the area of San Francisco and Oakland. There has been such an uptick of violence that policing in aeras of highly Asian population are becoming a new normal. Yet, this is not the solution. They shouldn’t need to be protected by police. As Americans, we spew anti-Asian rhetoric all over the media, former President Donald Trump was one who was familiar with this rhetoric. When the leader of our country, someone many looked up too, blames an entire nation for a virus, we can see how it trickles down. However horrifying videos all over social media have begun to show how far people are willing to go. This rhetoric directly comes from seeing Asian Americans as less than human, which allows people to attack them. We have seen it time and time again, who will America discriminate against this year? Asian American communities are suffering from something that is not their fault nor in their control, yet they are still paying the price. According to Time Magazine, “The assault of a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother who was assaulted and robbed in San Jose, Calif., and the attack on a 61-year-old Filipino man whose face was slashed with a box cutter on a New York City subway.” This community is yelling for help, and we must as minorities, give them a hand.
Our Asian LGBTQ+ individuals are under attack, many who have helped our community be what is it today. Richard Adams, the first person to have a lawsuit in recognition of same-sex marriage, was an Asian American, specifically Pilipino, who spearheaded our fight for marriage equality. People like Kim Coco Iwamoto, who became the highest ranked transgender official in the U.S when she won a seat on the Hawaii's Board of Education in 2006, and she continually fights for our rights as a community. Margaret Cho, who critiques our social and political issues in her comedy routines while she fights and raises awareness for the problems in the LGBTQ+ community. While there is slim representation of LGBTQ+ Asian Americans in our media, when there are, they fight hard for us, and we should do the same. Our Asian American communities are increasingly faced with violence and anti-Asian rhetoric in the media and in their day to day lives. We must remember that one minority group under attack means we all are. These people who attack Asian people, often have similar views of minorities being less than human, making them more likely to attack any minority. Together we must not only bring awareness but also stand with the Asian community in combating these attacks but also helping reform our ideas about Asian Americans.
The increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans stems from the idea that minorities like Asian communities, are subhuman. Spewed by the media, former Presidents, and even starting as young as elementary school, Asian Americans are made the butt of a joke or the end of a knife. The Asian LGBTQ+ members have done tremendous amounts of work to help normalize our community, but they do not need to apart of our community to get our help. We should help any minority who needs it, because we would want the same. We must not let this continue to be silenced, Asian Americans are under attack, and it is our duty to raise awareness and stand together in solidarity. You can do so by donating, supporting locally owned/small Asian business near you, or even having open discussions, sharing posts and becoming educated. Below is an article from the Stagiest in New York that list 50 ways to donate/support these Asian communities, I will also be having some direct links to these websites.
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Resources:
Staff, N. (2021, March 02). New Oakland Chinatown foot PATROL forms to Protect Asian American community. Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/new-oakland-chinatown-foot-patrol-forms-to-protect-asian-american-community/2481091/
Lang, C. (2021, February 18). Asian American Attacks: What's behind the rise in violence? Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://time.com/5938482/asian-american-attacks/
7 Asian LGBT advocates to know THIS AAPI Heritage Month. (2016, May 18). Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://www.glaad.org/blog/7-asian-lgbt-advocates-know-aapi-heritage-month
Candelario, C. (2021, February 24). 6 ways to support the Asian community right now. Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://www.purewow.com/wellness/how-to-help-the-asian-community
Barnes, R. (2015, April 18). 40 years LATER, story of a same-sex marriage in Colo. remains remarkable. Retrieved March 02, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/40-years-later-a-same-sex-marriage-in-colorado-remains-remarkable/2015/04/18/e65852d0-e2d4-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html
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