Statement Condemning Racism and Violence Against the Asian Community

Released: April 8, 2021

The American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL):  Statement Condemning Racism and Violence Against the Asian Community

“In a year of tragedy due to the overwhelming loss of life from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased violence and racism against the Asian community compounds our grief. Though anti-Asian sentiment has plagued the Asian community for centuries, Asians have now become the scapegoats for the discontent and fear of the rest of the world. A recent study has found that in the past year, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased in the United States by 149 percent. Facing a global pandemic together has shown how connected the world really is at every level. For some, however, the pandemic has been used as a platform for increased racism and a guise for violent assaults. There is never justification for such brutality or such ignorance.”

“The AAGL is a progressive and inclusive society that currently and historically includes physicians from every race and ethnicity in leadership positions.  Though we have modeled inclusion, we, as a society, must take to heart the threat to the Asian community and develop our awareness of anti-Asian racism in order to take a proactive stance against it. The AAGL condemns hate and racist claims of all forms and stands in support of the Asian community.”

Ted T.M. Lee, MD
2021 AAGL President

NOTE: AAGL has also participated in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) Collective Action Addressing Racism Joint Statement on Anti-Racism that can be accessed via this link: https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2021/04/collective-action-addressing-racism-in-solidarity-with-asian-american-pacific-islander-community

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