I frequently find myself wondering how I got into this social justice work. I am a white, heterosexual female of privilege; I was raised in an upper-middle class, Christian, small business owning family. Looking back, I sometimes feel as if I grew up in a story book… I never had a care or worry in the world when I was young. I was simply never exposed to much outside of our happy little American dream bubble. My parents were very conservative, and while they did a lot of work to support our local community on behalf of our business and our family, they never pushed any social justice messages upon me. Although, the one thing I do remember my dad always saying was “Always leave a place better than you found it.” While this could be applied to a Boy Scout’s camp site (which is where he got it from), I found that I applied it to life in general.  Today I feel that our world would be a much better place if we could reduce hate and increase love and respect for ALL people.

Again: white. heterosexual. upper-middle class. college educated. These things I identify as would not indicate a personal connection to many of the social justice issues we frequently hear about, yet I cannot help but be outrageously passionate about these issues – specifically, same sex marriage. The first time I realized I cared about this was when a family member had come out on a social networking site, and when discussing it with a cousin of mine who firmly stated that acting on feelings toward someone of the same sex was a sin and would result in that person going to hell I found myself in a great state of confusion and hurt. I cried and cried trying to express to my cousin that I simply didn’t understand how she could say such terrible things about a family member’s life. At that moment, it hit me how much this means to me. It’s not because I have family members and friends who identify as LGBTQ; it’s because I believe in fairness and loving all people equally.

More recently I found myself discussing same sex marriage with a friend who was unsupportive with the argument that “as a Christian, I have to support what the bible says.” Now, it must be stated that I no longer identify as Christian for a variety of reasons, but I do have respect for all religious beliefs. In that moment, again feeling my heart sinking & tears welling up in my eyes, I simply said “Do you feel that it is okay for every person in our country to live by Christian doctrines?” Not expecting (or receiving) a response, I continued to say that as a heterosexual person I do not feel that I am entitled to any more rights than another person simply because God made me heterosexual.

…And that’s what it all came down to. I simply do not feel that I am any more of a valuable asset to this country than any other person. I do not feel that I should be entitled to any more rights than anyone else because I happened to be born as this type of person. So if you find yourself thinking that same sex couples should not be entitled to full rights with marriage equality, this is what I challenge you to: Ask yourself, “Am I more valuable than someone else because I am heterosexual? Is the love in my relationship more meaningful than the love in another couple’s relationship? Knowing that there is a separation of church and state, can I truly say that our country should refuse certain couples the right to be married? Will someone else’s marriage (gay or straight) impact how much I love my partner?” Simply ask yourself these things... and think.

If you find that you are some who does not support same sex marriage, but also claims that you do not support discrimination or hate, then how do you define discrimination? I define it as viewing another individual as less equal due to a particular characteristic about them.   Denying a couple the right to marry is discrimination. Discrimination is simply based out of ignorance. Equality does not exist in the United States... not yet. We must keep living the words of the Constitution and Martin Luther King, Jr., “We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men [and women] are created equal.”

I have a dream.

...someday I will learn to come up with catchy, creative titles for my blog posts.  But not today.

I don't know what you've heard about the Heartbeat Bill in the state of Ohio, but it is quite crazy and needs to be stopped.  The bill states that abortion will not be legal after a heartbeat is detected, even in the cases of rape, incest, health of the mother and viability of the fetus (whether or not it can live outside of the womb).  There are a whole host of issues with this bill, a few of them being: 
- Most women don't even know they're pregnant until they are at least 6 weeks along; a heartbeat is typically detected for the first time around 4-6 weeks.  Therefore, this law essentially outlaws abortion for everyone who is not expecting a pregnancy.
- It forces women to carry an unhealthy fetus to term knowing that within hours after birth the baby will die.
- It forces survivors of rape to carry the child of their rapist for 9 months.
- It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! The ACLU has already declared that it will file a lawsuit against the state if this piece of legislation is passed.
- There are hundreds of other reasons as to why this whole thing is terrible, but I won't spend all of my time telling listing them...

The bill was passed in the Ohio House of Representatives, and was then passed on to the Senate Committee on Health, Human Services and Aging.  Last week, supporters of the bill testified in front of the committee; some of these individuals speaking about how they had at least one, if not two abortions and now regret their decision after seeking help from extremely religious organizations that have shamed them into believing that they are murderers.  Other supporters of the bill testified this week with thousands of Bible verses and incorrect "facts" about abortion.  I also testified on Tuesday (after about 7 hours of being at the statehouse and 4 hours into the committee hearing)... but I was testifying against the bill.  Some main points that I made were:
- I am a female of childbearing age & this legislation that directly impacts me & my peers (I had to point this out as the majority, if not all of the pro-lifers were white, male, and (of the women) post-childbearing age.)
- Until the state government was willing to fully fund education and social programs (including adoption services), they should not be passing a bill that requires families to bring another child into this world that they are unable to care for.
- This piece of legislation tells me that my state government does not respect me as an individual or trust me to make the best decision for my life and my body.  Therefore, it makes me want to take my Master's degree & income tax from my well paying job to another state where I am respected and trusted.
- There must be a separation of church and state.  While I don't know if I would ever have an abortion, I do know that it's not my right to make that choice for someone else.  We are all entitled to worship or not worship in whatever way we choose; we should not be subjected to follow the rules of someone else's religious beliefs.  If your faith tells you that abortion is not a good choice, then you should take that into consideration for your own life; you cannot make someone else abide of the rules of your religion.   (I wish I would have articulated this point better after hearing all of the other testimonies...)
- We need to stop wasting time trying to pass unconstitutional legislation and start investing in prevention that works, ie: comprehensive sex education.

Other interesting points made at the hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday were:
- How many individuals on the pro-life movement are adopting children?  Specifically children born right here in Ohio, not from third world countries.  Realistic answer:  not enough.
- What is the pro-life movement doing to support other issues such as education, Medicaid and social programs to support children outside of the womb?  Realistic answer:  nothing.
- Is Faith to Action (the pro-life group sponsoring this legislation) going to pay the state's legal fees when this is taken to the Supreme Court for being unconstitutional?  Given answer:  Only through tax dollars.  
- Will current and future physicians choose to practice medicine in Ohio knowing that they could be arrested if they felt the best medical decision to save a patient's life was to abort their fetus?  Answer:  Yes, with absolute certainty.

Testifying was a great experience!  The room was definitely full of tension, and it certainly was a longggg day - but we made it out alive!  I felt very respected by the committee, and occasionally individuals on the othe rside of the debate were semi-cordial.  After the hearing was over, I spoke to my senator (who happened to be the vice chair of the committee).  He thanked me for coming down and stating my views on the bill; he then went on to express how even though there are very strong beliefs on both sides, he has the highest respect for individuals (especially young people) who come to Columbus to make their voice heard (meaning he didn't agree with me, but he was glad I was there).  

The only downfall to all of this was that there were VERY few young people there testifying. While the pro-choice-ers had a few young people testify, the majority of all people who spoke were 40+.... It made me realize even more how important it is for young people to get involved & make their voice heard.  No matter where you stand on an issue, if you feel passionately about it and have done your research to develop an opinion, let the legislators know how you feel!!  You are the future of this country and the decisions made today are about YOUR life - they will impact you & generations to come.  Voting is huge, but advocating for something can make an incredible difference.  Get involved, folks!  Stop letting the baby boomers make all of the decisions - this is YOUR country, too!

If you're wondering what happened with the heartbeat bill - it is going to continue to sit in the committee until further notice.  The Senate president told the committee chair to suspend all hearings on the Heartbeat Bill until further notice (which is good news for us because their goal was to pass it by Christmas) .... So who knows when hearings will come about again, but thankfully Ohioans maintain their right to choose.... for now. :-/

Oh, and here is the link to the news clip with my testimony!
http://www.10tv.com/content/sections/video/index.html?video=/videos/2011/12/14/heartbeat-bill-.xml 

So tonight I had a friend tell me to "be careful" with my activism via social media.  It was not that this person did not agree with what I had to say; he was trying to tell me that there might be some people who don't like what I have to say.  Well, DUH.  If everyone liked what we had to say, we wouldn't need to say it.  

Might people get angry and try to debate or fight what I have to say?  Yes.  And quite frankly, that means I'm doing my job as an activist.  There's no point in only preaching to the choir.  We should be sure that everyone (no matter what their belief) hears our message.  If we catch someone's attention and they challenge what we have to say, then what a great opportunity to educate!!  Obviously, it can be and is done in a tasteful, respectful way. 

So will everyone agree with what we have to say?  Nope.  Will some people delete us from Facebook & Twitter because they don't like what we post?  Probably.  Will someone challenge us with a reply in opposition of what we said?  Most likely.

Does all of this mean we stop raising awareness & advocating for change?  NOPE.


Keep making your voices heard, fellow advocates.  We may face adversity, but we must continue to amplify our voice!

 Alrighty - so this blog post is more of an angry rant.

I teach Human Sexuality & this past week the students' assignment was to purchase condoms or a feminine hygiene product then write a reflection about it.  A lot of the students enjoyed it, and despite their anxiety, they realized that it's perfectly okay to buy safer sex products.  All of that was well & good; made me happy that it was a useful assignment....

BUT THEN.... One of my students said he went through a self check out line and there were a group of young teens who were loudly making comments about how he (my student) was going to "tap that."  

UGH- Tap That????  I HATE that phrase.  Women (or any human for that matter) are NOT things!!!  

The student did not seem to be bothered by the teens (other than that they were obnoxious), but it definitely bothered me... I'm mad that random strangers attempted to embarrass my student, but I am more mad that as young men they already have this view of women as objects - this is not okay, plain & simple.

Call to activists: we need to change this!  What have you all done in the past to address this issue?!

 
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Advocates for Youth Urban Retreat this past week, and it was one of the best conferences I’ve been to. I went to my first Urban Retreat in 2008 as a Campus Organizer – and quite frankly, I was scared out of my mind and really held back from embracing the experience. At the time I came from the Peer Educator perspective and was just learning about all of the different issues that AfY addresses; I had not done a lot of advocacy work back home and felt very out of my element. This year’s Urban Retreat was completely different.

In the past couple of years, I really discovered my inner advocate & let her out to the world. I started paying attention to legislation, I participated in action alerts & I did what I could to raise awareness via social media. In those two years, I also worked with an incredible group of teens in Salem, Oregon who did advocacy work and service to promote healthy lifestyles in their schools. Because of these experiences, coming to Urban Retreat this year was completely different than years past. Hearing people’s stories and learning about the incredible work that young people have done across the country touched me so much. While people were giving their “shout outs” during the last night’s dinner, I could not stop crying – and I had no clue why. After thinking about it, I realized that the work we are doing as young people is INCREDIBLE, and I am now able to recognize how powerful youth truly are. I couldn’t help but think of my students in Oregon and appreciate their passion and efforts to make a difference. When you are young & in the moment, you don’t really even notice how amazing you (and the work you’re doing) actually are. All of this made me realize how lucky I am to be at this awesome time in my life – being a part of the youth movement, but also being able to recognize how powerful we really are.
Other than having the revolutionary ah-ha moment of being an adult while still being a youth, I also had a great time lobbying on Capitol Hill! I, along with other Ohio Advocates, lobbied in the offices of Senator Sherrod Brown (OH-D), Senator Portman (OH-R), Representative Steve Stivers (OH-R), and Speaker of the House John Boehner (OH-R). Despite the majority of my meetings being with conservative leaders, I felt as though our messages were fairly well received. Most of the staffers asked questions or complimented the work that we were doing (even if their congress member doesn’t support our policies). This was a much better experience than going to Capitol Hill my first time, where I lobbied in Representative Jim Jordan’s office (OH-R), and we were essentially pushed out of the office as soon as we said why we were there. I was reminded how EASY & fun lobbying truly is – if you know your stuff, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go up to the Hill and make your voice heard… or at least give em a call 

Overall, Urban Retreat 2011 was a FABULOUS experience, where I felt surrounded by “my people,” and I truly embraced and enjoyed every moment of being there. I am excited to find my voice here in Cincinnati, take action with fellow advocates & change the world!

A few weeks ago I attended a fundraiser for Senator Sherrod Brown with my best friend, Ashley. It was a great opportunity to talk with the senior senator from Ohio, as well as meet other individuals across the state who have the same values as myself. The event was a lot of fun with great food and company, and when Senator Brown arrived he took the time to speak with every single person in the room. He asked where we were from, what we do, what issues we care about, and what we plan to do about these issues. When he addressed the entire group, he spoke of the issues that matter to me most – reproductive rights, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education, women’s health, access to birth control, and other social justice issues. His primary focus was on these topics as the majority of the audience was also supportive of Planned Parenthood.

Brown’s speech really got me thinking about the importance of researching candidates and finding the one whose values line up with your own. I was one of those voters in the past who didn’t really care about senators and representatives; I thoughtfully considered my choice for president, but honestly did not even know who was running for congress until I got to the polls. Reflecting on that now, all I can say was, “Holy cow, what was I thinking?!” Congress has all the power – they are the ones who pass the bills on to the President to be signed. If Congress doesn’t pass something, the President doesn’t even get the option of saying “yes” or “no.” If anything, the people you vote into congress are more influential on your daily life than the President. (That statement is not to de-value the Office of the President of the United States, just simply acknowledging that when it comes to policies passing or failing — Congress is basically in control.)

From here on out, I am vowing to be an educated voter & I encourage you to do the same. Research the politicians — in BOTH parties. Don’t base your decision off of what the media has told you (as we all know, many news stations are very bias and twist facts around to poorly reflect the truth about the candidates’ views.) Go to the wonderful thing I like to call Google, and look up voting records for different candidates on the issues you care about. If you were wondering about the views of a few of our oh so wonderful members of Congress from Ohio…

- Representative Jim Jordan (District 4: North Central Ohio/Marion area for those of you from home) – Voted YES to defund Planned Parenthood
- Representative John Boehner (District 8: Southwest Ohio) – Voted YES to defund Planned Parenthood
- Representative Steve Stivers (District 15: Central Ohio/Columbus area) – Voted YES to defund Planned Parenthood
- Senator Rob Portman (Senators represent the entire state) – Voted YES to defund Planned Parenthood
- Senator Sherrod Brown (again — represents us all) – Voted NO to defund Planned Parenthood

….So of all the people representing me & the areas in which I reside in the state of Ohio, only ONE stood by Planned Parenthood & voted "no" when the bill was proposed to take away their funding. This issue is VERY important to me & these voting records will most definitely influence my decisions on who I vote for in the coming years.

Don’t just vote because it’s the trendy thing to do & you want a free sticker. Vote because you care. Vote because it matters. Vote with knowledge.