June is LGBT Pride Month! We strongly support our LGBT brothers and sisters because the fight for equality reflects our shared values of freedom and privacy. Everyone should be free to make decisions about whom they love, whom they marry, and with whom they have a family without intrusion from politicians.
Coming out
A pivotal moment for many LGBT people is coming out. By coming out, they can find a shared community in other LGBT folks and straight allies, and can finally be honest with the world about who they really are.
You might never have thought about it this way, but when a woman tells someone about having an abortion for the first time, it’s a lot like coming out. Abortion is a part of reproductive-health care for so many women: one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Yet this topic is still hush hush for many. But it shouldn’t be – no one should be made to feel ashamed for accessing abortion care.
Harvey Milk, an LGBT politician and rights activist, said “As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family. You must tell your relatives. You must tell your friends if indeed they are your friends. You must tell the people you work with. You must tell the people in the stores you shop in. Once they realize that we are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and all.” By refusing to stay silent – whether that’s about a fundamental truth about who we are or a life experience, we get other people to think differently.
Sharing stories
Stories and conversations can go a long way in changing hearts and minds, whether it’s about full equality or reproductive freedom. The LGBT community has used storytelling to show people who they are and to define their lives and experiences. Edie Windsor, the defendant in the Supreme Court case that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, won over hearts and minds by telling the story of her lifelong partnership with Thea Spyer.
Storytelling is also a critical tool for pro-choice people. When we share our stories, are working to end the stigma reproductive freedom opponents have put around abortion.
Ending stereotypes and stigma
We believe everyone should decide whom they love and access the reproductive health care that is best for them free of stigma and harassment. And we get one step closer to this becoming a reality every time these experiences are portrayed in pop culture. From cult-classic But I’m a Cheerleader to the openly gay animated character in How to Train Your Dragon 2, audiences are seeing more realistic portrayals of LGBT individuals and the lives they lead, and attitudes are changing.
That’s why it’s so important for pop culture to represent abortion for what it is – a normal decision. Cutting-edge films like Obvious Child to homemade videos like the one Emily Letts created are getting people to think differently about the women who decide to end a pregnancy.