A matchmaking platform exclusively for Asian women and “Western men” has appeared in San Francisco, with more than 3,400 people already on its waitlist. But its website says surprisingly little about who’s behind the service or how it works, including how its unnamed reviewers will supposedly identify and reject fetishists.
We’re also looking at new hate crime numbers for Sikh and Hindu Americans, a California bill for colleges serving AANHPI students and what Texas Rep. Gene Wu says different attacks on Asian American communities have in common. Then there’s a medical mystery that researchers still can’t quite explain, plus Japan’s plan to travel to one of Mars’ moons and bring a piece of it home.
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Thousands have signed up to join this Asian women, ‘Western men’ matchmaker
WMAFMeet says it isn’t another dating app. Accepted members won’t swipe through profiles. Instead, the invite-only service plans to use AI and human reviewers to match Asian women with “Western men” in the San Francisco area, one introduction at a time.
While the people behind the platform remain publicly unidentified, it has begun soliciting applicants, with its website currently displaying a waitlist of more than 3,400 for its first cohort.
What else we’re tracking
California bill would create state recognition for colleges serving AANHPI students after federal cuts
Assembly Bill 2374, introduced by Assembly Member Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), would recognize colleges in California for how well they serve AANHPI students. Campuses that “excel at providing academic resources” to AANHPI students could earn the designation on a two-thirds vote of a new nine-member board and keep it for five academic years. The bill has reached the state Senate’s calendar for a floor vote, days after clearing the Appropriations Committee.
Texas Dem leader says the attacks on Asian Americans share a single aim
Texas Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston), who leads the state’s House Democrats, says policies affecting different Asian American communities should be viewed as parts of the same broader effort. “While they may use different tools, their rationale and end goals are exactly the same,” he said at Democratic National Committee meetings in Austin. He cited new limits on work and student visas, restrictions on property ownership and other targeted measures.
Hate targeting Sikh and Hindu Americans rises despite broader decline, FBI data shows
Newly released FBI data shows anti-Asian hate crime incidents declined in the U.S. in 2025, while incidents targeting Sikhs and Hindus rose sharply. Overall, the FBI counted 10,606 hate crime incidents in its year-over-year comparison for 2025, down 7% from 11,404 in 2024. The decline was also reflected in anti-Asian incidents, which fell 10.6% from 379 to 339. In contrast, anti-Sikh incidents increased 24.6% from 142 to 177, while anti-Hindu incidents rose 12% from 25 to 28.
Scientists can’t explain why some Asian American breast cancer patients live longer
Scientists have yet to explain why Chinese, Filipina and Japanese women with breast cancer have lower overall mortality than White patients. A new JAMA Network Open study found their adjusted all-cause mortality was 23%, 19% and 29% lower, respectively, than among non-Latina White women. Clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic differences explained only part of the gap.
Japan heads to Mars’ moon to investigate solar system’s origins
Japan is aiming for the red planet’s moons. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is preparing to send its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft to collect more than 10 grams from the surface of the larger Phobos, while observing the smaller Deimos. If successful, the mission would bring samples to Earth around 2031, the first ever returned from the Mars system.
Why read Issue #248?
We make decisions with incomplete information all the time, sure. But there can be danger in the gaps we often take for granted, especially when they involve something that can actually affect our lives, or when someone else gets to decide what we know in the first place.
This issue has a lot being kept just outside the frame: people we can’t identify, experiences that never make it into official numbers and answers researchers are still looking for. Sometimes, it pays to ask questions. Poke around a little. Don’t stop at what’s right in front of you. After all, you won’t know what’s really out there unless you look.
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The Rebel Yellow is supported in part by funding from The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Funders do not influence story selection, reporting, or editorial decisions. All editorial content is independently produced by The Rebel Yellow team.