Make The Handmaid's Tale Fiction Again/Power to the Peaceful

Think it's past time we entered the 21st century and left the last century's narrow-mindedness behind? Read on!

Make The Handmaid's Tale Fiction Again
#StopTheBans Protest 2019
photos and words by C. A. Matthews

It's spring--and it's time for all good activists to come out of their warm homes and hit the streets with signs in hand. This past week thousands of women across the nation came out to protest recent legislation in states like Alabama and Ohio that severely limit--if not altogether prohibit--a woman's right to seek abortion care. The following photos come from the Toledo #StopTheBans demonstration.

The creativity in the signage and costuming was superb. There's something about having your very existence threatened that brings out the latent talent hidden in the depths of a woman's soul. We aren't "having brunch with the gals" here. This ain't no garden party. We are fighting for our right to determine our own destinies; our right to live our lives as we see fit--not as others deem proper.

Are we equal with men, or are we "just a womb"? The Handmaid's Tale is a novel, not a guidebook, right? Are we heading toward a sadistic patriarchal society were women are barely seen behind their red capes and bonnets with wings, to be used simply as brood mares? The women on the protest corner give a resounding "No!" to that nightmare scenario. They are strong. They will fight back.

This recent spate of abortion ban laws just reinforces the fact that outlawing abortion isn't a "moral issue" (or  a "Save the babies!" issue) but a "control issue" to keep women, minorities, and the poor in general in their place. The elites can't have women determining their own destinies, especially their economic destinies. If they have the freedom to decide when or if they are going to have children, women could choose to focus on their education and/or careers and eventually learn to out-think their bosses. Smart women could challenge the system and demand change to make a better world for their children and future children... Anti-abortion legislation is just another way the 1% on top in positions of power use punitive measures to control the 99%  "beneath" them--with an added side of self-righteousness to boot.

Intelligent, capable women (and their allies) aren't having it. They're not taking this latest attack against Roe V. Wade lying down, with their hands held down by their rapists. They are taking the conversation to the streets and demanding to be heard. Their cry is "Never again." We aren't going back to the dark ages. We aren't going to allow women to die in back alleys. We will keep the clinics open and accessible to all who need their services. The Handmaid's Tale will remain fiction. And this time, there will be a happy ending for all who live in the freedom to choose their own path.

Related articles:

Abortion limits carry economic costs for women
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/23/726294656/a-look-at-the-economics-of-ending-a-pregnancy 

Abortion bans have some women preparing for the worst
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/56769-abortion-bans-have-some-women-preparing-for-the-worst-it-involves-auntie-networks

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Power to the Peaceful (No War in Iran)
Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition Demonstration 
photos and words by C. A. Matthews

A few days later, on the same street corner, another demonstration materialized. Although at first glance these two protests seem to have little in common, the more I ponder their messages, the more I see them as two aspects of the same fight. Standing up for a woman's right to choose and for the right of all human beings to live in peace are both struggles against a corrupt system that seeks to control our lives.


These peace activists protesting against another US intervention in Iran display the response we should all take when faced with injustice--one of strength and grace. They're not afraid to stand up to the military industrial complex and its paid-off politicians. They're not afraid to love their neighbors as themselves--even if their neighbors live halfway across the globe and don't share the same language, culture or skin tone with them.

True power is found in true love of self and neighbor. By respecting and cherishing our neighbors through providing health care for all (including women's reproductive health care) and ensuring a safe and peaceful planet, we are bringing about a just and healthy society. We are creating the beautiful world we all envision.

It can happen today. We can have it all--peace, love, justice, mercy and compassion--but first we have to  have the courage to take it to the streets.

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From Credo:

An a historic act of resistance to Trump's homophobic and hateful agenda, the House of Representatives recently passed the Equality Act to extend civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community and ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.¹

 

But the fight to win full, equal rights under the law for everyone is far from over. 

The Trump administration can wage war against the LGBTQ community because there are no explicit legal guarantees of their civil rights. Now, it's on the Senate to take a stance against bigotry and ensure protection from discrimination for the LGBTQ community. Can you add your voice in support of the Equality Act?

Tell the Senate: It’s long past time for LGBTQ people to have full civil rights. Pass the Equality Act now. Click here to sign the petition.

From inciting and enabling anti-LGBTQ violence to stripping away hard-fought LGBTQ rights under the guise of "religious liberty," Trump is trying to invisibilize and marginalize the LGBTQ community. By making incendiary, bigoted policy proposals to ban transgender people from military service, allow health care workers to use their religious beliefs to discriminate against LGBTQ patients and roll back an Obama-era redefinition of "discrimination based on sex" to include gender identity, Trump is refusing to create a climate of safety and inclusion, and proactively attempting to dismantle LGBTQ people's rights.^2–4

The Equality Act would affirm that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to LGBTQ people, banning discrimination in education, employment, housing, credit and federal jury service.⁵ The majority of Americans in every state support equal protection under the law for LGBTQ people, but with Republicans controlling the Senate, passing the Equality Act will be an uphill battle.⁶

Now more than ever, we need to send a strong message to every senator that the vast majority of Americans support equal protection under the law for LGBTQ people and we expect our elected officials to stand with us. Can you help demand that the Senate use its power to stand up for LGBTQ people now?
Tell the Senate: Pass the Equality Act and extend civil rights protections to all Americans. Click the link below to sign the petition:
https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Equality-act-senate?t=9&akid=32703%2E7206293%2E8SNb5_

Thanks for fighting back,
Thaís Marques, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets
 

Add your name:

References:

1. German Lopez, "The House just passed a sweeping LGBTQ rights bill," Vox, May 17, 2019.
2. Erica L. Green, Abby Goodnough and Margot Sanger-Katz,"Trump Administration Proposes Rollback of Transgender Protections," The New York Times, May 24, 2019.
3. Ann Marimow, "Restriction on transgender troops serving in military can stand for now, D.C. federal appeals court rules," The Washington Post, Jan. 4, 2018.
4. Bil Browning, "Trump admin issues rule that gives healthcare workers right to discriminate against LGBTQ people," LGBTQ Nation, May 2, 2019.
5. National Center for Transgender Equality, "The Equality Act Introduced to Congress with Over 230 Co-Sponsors," March 13, 2019.
6. Brian McBride, "Major National Survey Finds Majority of Americans in Every State Oppose LGBTQ Discrimination," Human Rights Campaign, May 2, 2018.

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