Photo by Mel D. Cole Photography

Our Statement on the Atlanta Shootings

We are heartbroken and angered by the violence in Georgia last night. Reportedly motivated by a “sex addiction” and desire to eliminate the “temptation[s]” he found at Atlanta-area massage parlors, the perpetrator brutally shot and murdered eight people – the majority of whom were Asian women. We will call this for what it is – a racist and misogynistic act of violence. The targeting and murder of these women is a consequence of the hyper-sexualization and objectification of Asian women. It is also reflective of the violence many in the sex trade experience at the hands of people with privilege and power. As advocates in the movement to end gender violence, we stand with survivors and people in the sex trade, as well as with Asian communities in Georgia and across the country who have been reeling from the increase in racial discrimination this year.