Another virus has been spreading throughout our country since former President Donald Trump racialized the coronavirus by repeatedly calling it the "China virus" or "kung flu:" Hate. His thinly veiled racist dog whistles encouraged identification of the virus with Asians and a justification for punishing anyone perceived as Chinese, which is liberally misapplied to almost all East Asians. Asia comprises 49 nations and is more a convenient geographic term than a homogenous continent, and the use of which always risks obscuring the enormous diversity among the vast regions and peoples it encompasses. Violence experienced by Asians spans microaggressions to assaults and murder. These incidents have increased in recent years and reveal a growing tolerance for aggressive harassment that has consequences for LGBTQ+ people.
To understand the scope of the problem, the Stop AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Hate reporting center was launched March 19, 2020 through the combined effort of Chinese for Affirmative Action, AAPI Equity Alliance (formerly the Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council), and San Francisco State University's Asian-American studies department. Over the first two years (March 19, 2020, to March 31, 2022,) the reporting center recorded 11,467 incidents from individuals nationwide who contacted the center.
Continue reading this article at News Is Out
Michael Yamashita is the publisher of the Bay Area Reporter and a founding member of News Is Out, a pioneering national collaborative of queer media outlets. The collaborative includes 6 of the leading local and queer-owned LGBTQ+ publishers across the nation.
Join the weekly News Is Out newsletter here.
The State of California offers help for victims or witnesses to a hate crime or hate incident. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.