On March 16th, eight people were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia in a horrific bout of violence and injustice. Of the eight lives taken, six were members of the AAPI community working at local spas and massage parlors. The shooting represents one of an increasing number of hate crimes against the AAPI community in the United States, an endemic experience of racism that first spiked with the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 in March 2020. According to a national report by Stop AAPI Hate, the Center received 3,795 incidents of anti-Asian hate since March 19, 2020 (Link). AAPI experiences of violence and racism in the US have changed the way many Asian Americans perceive their daily realities, which are now filled with the potential for danger and violence. With the increase in anti-Asian hate, members of the AAPI community fear for their loved ones walking down the street, going into grocery stores, or spending time in public.
In March 2021, a rally in San Francisco was held by the LGBTQIA+ community as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with AAPI members both inside and outside the umbrella of the queer community (Link). The rally was one of a number of LGBTQIA+ demonstrations organized across the country to stand in unity with AAPI individuals. With nearly 1 in 5 hate crimes in the United States motivated by LGBTQIA+ bias, members of the LGBTQIA+ community must continue to work to support individuals at the intersection of these two identities (Link).
The following resources have been compiled by the QU to connect supporters to organizations and initiatives acting to mitigate community violence experienced by queer AAPI individuals in the United States. We continue to remain open to feedback and further resources as we strive to promote community, solidarity and collective healing under the queer umbrella.
Resources
- AAPI Data https://aapidata.com/people/lgbt/
- AAPI Data is a publisher of demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The publisher compiles specific academic research and reports on the queer AAPI experience in the United States.
- Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) http://apaitonline.org/
- An organization working on behalf of medically underserved communities living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS and other health disparities.
- Asian Pride Project asianprideproject.org
- An online space for family and friends of lesiban, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQIA+) Asian & Pacific Islander (API) people. The project represents a space for sharing stories and experiences in the languages of API communities via video, sound, pictures and words.
- HRC resource on coming out: “Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.”
- An LGBTQIA+ resource guide helping Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with the coming out process.
- Prism foundation (Formerly known as GAPA: Gay Asian Pacific Alliance) theprismfoundation.org
- An organization providing funds and leveraging resources to empower Asian/Pacific Islanders in the LGBTQIA+ community.
- PrYSM prysm.us
- A youth organization that supports Southeast Asian youth to become leaders, critical thinkers and organizers both inside and outside the LGBTQIA+ community.
- The Asian American Psychological Association https://aapaonline.org/resources/lgbtq-aapi-resources/
- The mission of the AAPA is to advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, education, and policy. Professional and scholarly research focuses on understanding and educating communities on the Asian American experience. The AAPA is committed to advancing the mental health and wellness of AAPI individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community.
- The It Gets Better Project https://itgetsbetter.org/blog/initiatives/orgs-supporting-asian-american-pacific-islander-lgbtq-communities/
- A nonprofit organization uplifting and empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. The organization currently provides resources for AAPI queer communities throughout the United States.
- The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance nqapia.org
- An organization helping to develop leadership, promote visibility, educate the AAPI community, enhance grassroots expansion, and challenge homophobia and racism.
- NQAPIA addresses issues of a lack of access to HIV prevention, testing services as well as high rates of depression and suicide within the intersection of the LBTQIA+ and AAPI community. Structural interventions include lobbying to congress, story collection on healthcare discrimination as well as trans affirming one-pagers for medical providers. Interventions and resources are centered around healing and self-care for AAPI and LGBTQIA+ individuals (Link). The following resources is the API healer network, a healer network and therapy resources list compiled by the NQAPIA.
- Visibility Project visibilityproject.org
- The Visibility Project seeks to document the personal experiences of Queer Asian Pacific American women and the transgender community. Such documentation is accomplished on accessible online platforms by the Project through the elevation and creation of visual art, personal narratives, and social justice.