Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter and Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network) initiated this community statement to express our concerns on the violence and safety of Asian workers in massage parlours stemming from anti-Asian racism, white supremacy, and misogyny. Reel Asian adds their support to the following document.

From their statement:

“We are outraged and deeply heartbroken by the murder of 8 individuals in Atlanta on March 16, 2021 almost all of whom were Asian women. We mourn the death and honour the lives of Asian women working in massage parlours and Asian and migrant sex workers who have never been protected from hate, discrimination, racism, misogyny and violence. This comes amid attacks against people of Asian descent across North America. What has happened in Atlanta is not an isolated incident, but a horrific example of a large rising tide of anti-Asian racism.

In Canada, over 1000 cases of anti-Asian racism have been reported (report forthcoming on March, 23) to www.covidracism.ca and www.elimin8hate.org. Our data demonstrates that Asian women are disproportionately impacted by racialized violence. Asian women working in massage parlours and the sex industry are often violently targeted.

Similar to the United States, intersecting sexism, whorephobia, and racism in Canada result in the dehumanization of Asian and migrant sex workers and massage parlour workers. This violence is not isolated and stems from a long history of fetishizing, hypersexualizing and marginalizing Asian women. Anti migrant and anti sex worker legislation promote and encourage hate towards Asian migrant sex workers, labelling them as undeserving and unworthy of rights and protection. Our communities are often framed as criminal just for existing.

Anti-migrant and anti-sex worker policies are often harmful and dangerous to women’s physical safety, resulting in continued law enforcement targeting Body Rub Parlours and Holistic Centres here in Toronto. Many cities have excessive policing and repressive regulations against massage parlours, such as prohibiting the locking of doors, and forcing them to work in remote areas. Butterfly and CCNCTO continue to advocate for fair enforcement practices by the City of Toronto’s Municipal Licensing and Standards Division. This includes abolishing Bylaw 545-177 and Bylaw 545-343, which restrict workers from locking their doors at Holistic Centres and Body Rub Parlours. Furthermore, we call on the Federal Government to ensure migrant workers are granted legal status in Canada, including both status on arrival and regularization programs for those who are already in Canada.

We continue to demand respect, dignity, rights and protection for Asian and migrant women, sex workers and women working in massage parlours, who have had their rights infringed upon due to their race, language and immigration status. Their lives and livelihoods must be protected. This demand for dignity does not include increased policing or enforcement, recognizing that more policing has often exacerbated harms and has failed to demonstrate a commitment to protect and advance the rights of Asian and migrant sex workers, Black and Indigenous communities and migrant communities at large. Racism has no boundaries.

Media Contacts:

Elene Lam, Executive Director, Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)
416-906-3098
cswbutterfly@gmail.com

Justin Kong, Executive Director, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter
416-596-0833
executivedirector@ccnctoronto.ca

Organizations:

Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter
Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)
Project 1907 (Vancouver)
Elimin8hate (Vancouver)
SWAN (Vancouver)
Nail Technicians Network Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre (Toronto)”

Reel Asian supports the Asian Canadian Women’s Alliance statement condemning the Atlanta shootings. We are deeply saddened by these tragic events and the on-going violence against the Asian community, and specifically gendered violence and violence against migrant workers. We extend our condolences to the victims’ families. As an organization, we mourn with the community and will continue to look for ways to amplify the voices within our community.

From their statement:

“Toronto-based Asian Canadian Women’s Alliance
(ACWA) condemns the murders of eight people in
Atlanta, including six Asian women. ACWA considers the
shooting rampage a direct result of the former president’s
racist comments during the Covid pandemic.

Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked in Canada at a higher per
capita rate than the US. In Vancouver, such incidents nearly
doubled in 2020 over 2019.

Women, the elderly, and the most marginalized segments of the
community are disproportionately targeted, according to a
September 2020 report conducted by the Chinese Canadian
National Council, Toronto Chapter and Project 1907, Vancouver.
ACWA extends our condolences to the victims’ families. We urge
Canadian authorities to be vigilant about the continuing violence
against Asian Canadians.

https://acwa.ca

For Press:
Contact: Minsook Lee 416-671-5109
Jan Wong 416-919-9271”

Tickets for the 24th Edition Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Nov 12 – 19) go on sale on Oct 15 across Canada. In the meantime, we are excited to introduce #reelasian24’s official Festival Creative Artist, Kristan Lai!

Artist Bio:⁣
Kristan Lai is an emerging illustrator and visual storyteller working between Toronto, Canada and Pennsylvania in the United States. Inspired from growing up in the Poconos, her work focuses on reimagining environments, memories, and dreamscapes to connect rural and urban landscapes. On a different stylistic end, she also enjoys creating oil portrait paintings in-between illustrations. Kristan recently completed a Bachelor of Design from OCAD U’s Illustration program.⁣

Artist Statement:⁣
My work is often inspired by the environments I’ve lived in, imagined, and have traveled to. Furthermore, memories are a huge part of my practice. In the illustration titled “Nest” for Reel Asian’s 2020 Festival, I am recalling a memory of when my mother used to brush my hair when I was small. My hair would tangle really easily, break combs, and create huge knots—knots so huge to where my mother would say I have bird nests in my hair. She would joke and make chirping sounds by my head.⁣

Then I thought about all the bird nests I see around my home; how they not only contained twigs, but animal fur, plastic, string, whatever they could find. Even my hair could also be material for a nest. All of these thoughts led to the illustration having multiple perspectives and moments captured in ink; snapshots of the same story.⁣

The 24th edition of Reel Asian is going online, and for the first time ever, across Canada this November 12 – 19!

Thank you to our government sponsors, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Creates, Telefilm Canada, Toronto Arts Council, Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada. Reel Asian is also made possible with your support. Click the link below to donate to Reel Asian today.