APABA JOINS OVER 25 LEGAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN CONDEMNING RACIST COMMENTS BY REPRESENTATIVE LANCE GOODEN

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA - APABA joins the California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Cal-APABA), its sister bar associations, and Asian American civil rights organizations in condemning comments made by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) questioning the loyalty of Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and suggesting to remove Rep. Chu's security clearance. Such comments are outrageous, racist, and have no place in public discourse.

Political rhetoric against the AAPI community has been used to hurt Asian communities for decades. Research by Stop AAPI Hate released in October 2022 shows that statements by political candidates and elected officials that attempt to scapegoat Asians for public health crises, economic hardships or national security concerns are repeated by perpetrators of hate incidents. As hate incidents against the AAPI community surge across the country, political representatives spewing such hate speech must be held to account.

We call on Rep. Gooden to apologize to Rep. Chu and to the AAPI community for his hateful and inflaming comments. Further, we urge the House GOP leadership to condemn Rep. Gooden's attacks on Rep. Chu and stand with the AAPI community in acknowledging that such rhetoric is hateful, unwarranted, and dangerous.

Add your voice:

Share your thoughts with Rep. Lance Gooden:

Call: (202) 225-3484

Email: https://gooden.house.gov/email-me