Report from Georgetown, Seattle:

Taking Patriarchy by Storm

June 19, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

From a reader

On Saturday, June 13, in Seattle we went out to an art and music street carnival in Georgetown, an area described as “bohemian blue collar chic,” and known to be a hot spot for artists and other "think outside the box" creative types. We brought out the posters that say “Women are NOT bitches, hos, punching bags, sex objects, or breeders. Women are FULL HUMAN BEINGS!” and several rolls of stickers with different slogans, and we got a very positive response from many of the people there. We talked to people about July 1st, and we really focused on getting out the stickers, getting pictures of people with the signs to tweet out, and raising money...cause “...we need funds to take patriarchy by storm—ALL SUMMER LONG!” We raised over $200 in about 3 and a half hours, and I think it's a very good idea to go out to festivals or events where people make a point to carry cash with them!

One story that I think captured something positive about abortion rights was from a retired man that had worked at a local medical center. When his brother, a conservative Republican, heard that Obama had won the election, he complained that there would be so many abortions with Obama in charge. We pointed out that this is actually NOT true…the legal assaults on abortion rights have continued and in the last four years have even become much more intensified, and Obama has done NOTHING substantial to challenge or fundamentally change this situation and trajectory and what it means for women. But this man explained to his brother, “Well, you know that there are ‘spontaneous abortions,’ right? They’re called miscarriages, and they happen all the time. Women that didn't even know that they were pregnant, they think they have a heavy period, but it was a miscarriage. So actually, the God that you believe so strongly in, he is actually responsible for WAY MORE abortions than Obama is!”

Through the day, word got out about the summer of taking patriarchy by storm—and toward the end of the day some people were coming up to us to get stickers cause they had seen others wearing them—they were excited to see the message and really agreed with this radical idea that "Women are Full Human Beings!!"

 

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