Atlanta A Hate Crime But Not Necessarily Against Asians

The debate continues.

Were the massage parlor attacks racially motivated?

Some folks argue, yes, because six of eight people who died were Asian.

Others say, no, because two of those who died are white. And cops say the man they arrested, Robert Aaron Long, told them it wasn’t. That he has a sex addiction. That he’d frequent massage parlors because of it. And that when he ended the lives of eight people he was lashing back at his addiction.

But there’s another take on the ‘hate crime argument that’s worthy of consideration. My friend author, radio commentator and sex worker rights advocate Tracy Quan, writes in the LA Times that it was a hate crime. A hate crime directed at sex workers.

It’s an aspect of this story that’s right in front of us. Yet we don’t necessarily see it.

Violence against sex workers isn’t just limited to the United States. It’s a global problem. The World Health Organization even defines it as a health issue.

And the National Institutes of Health, citing dozens of studies, says it’s a problem deserving of greater research.

When sex workers are assaulted it seems they often have little recourse. New York’s Urban Justice Center says it’s not unusual for sex workers who are victims of violence to get little or no assistance from the police.

The horrific mass shooting in Georgia is forcing a long overdue look at violence targeting Asian Americans. But as Tracy Quan reminds us, it should trigger attention on the vulnerability that sex workers face, too.

Originally published at https://garybaumgarten.substack.com.