To the Editor:
Xiaojie Tan was a professional massage therapist, licensed in the state of Georgia. She was also the owner of a spa near Atlanta. On Tuesday she was killed by a violent man in a rampage that took the lives of eight people.
As Licensed Massage Therapists, we grieve the loss of our colleague. As Americans, we deplore the hatred that leads to such violence. Tan was an Asian woman killed in a moment when intensifying bigotry toward Asian-Americans has led to violent racist attacks from coast to coast. We demand an end to this violence, and we beg everyone in our community to end the use of racist slurs that falsely blame people of Asian heritage for the pandemic.
Massage therapists work in a variety of settings, from luxury spas to hospitals. We help individuals dealing with maladies ranging from a stiff neck to sports injuries to deep-seated trauma and chronic pain. Our profession is dedicated to stress reduction, pain relief and healing.
We are saddened that news reports continue to confuse massage therapists with workers in the sex industry, and ask that careful journalists stop using the derogatory and antiquated term “massage parlors.” This is not only inaccurate, it is dangerous. It leads to devaluing the lives of people like Xiaojie Tan, a hard working therapist who lived to care for her clients.
Massage therapy has been licensed by the New York State Department of Education for more than half a century. The public should be aware of massage therapy licensing requirements and to be sure that any massage business they patronize hires only Licensed Massage Therapists.
This is not a Georgia problem. It is an American problem. This kind of violence can happen here. We ask our public officials to provide protection to threatened businesses run by our Asian-American neighbors.
Ed Griffin-Nolan, LMT
The Art of Massage
Syracuse
Kyle Hierholzer, LMT
Hand in Health
North Syracuse
Timothy Bryant, LMT
Quest Massage
Syracuse
The authors are Licensed Massage Therapists operating private practices in the Syracuse area.
"colleague" - Google News
March 20, 2021 at 02:00PM
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CNY licensed massage therapists condemn anti-Asian violence against colleague (Your Letters) - syracuse.com
"colleague" - Google News
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