Official blog of the
Texas Reproductive Rights Rally
When I come forward about the circumstances of my mistreatment by leaders in the secular community, I know I will not be believed by all and many will cut me off.
I will not be silenced. I will release press releases and public statements because I REFUSE to allow any more survivors of rape to be pushed and driven into silence! When I speak I will speak for the perpetrators' many (not victims BUT) people/persons that were also hurt and the survivors, people who that HE made disappear, or made them seem as if their claims would be invalidated. I will speak for those not as free to speak AS I AM FREE TO SPEAK, and when I speak against him I KNOW I RISK EVERYTHING. I have enough support to be brave enough to speak up and speak out, in the hopes that the atheist and secular community as a whole will realize that rape culture, misogynist men, and sexism, and the usery and abuse of melanated and poorest AND MOST MARGINALIZED PEOPLES are not just problems facing churches AND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. These problems exist even in people who claim NO FAITH in gods, in atheists, and in secular people too. So long as we as people who claim logic, reason, and proof as our guide in the world as atheists and secular people ignore these clear and inherent problems among our own people, we will not advance and progress. The poorest and the most marginalized among us as are the people WHO WILL SUFFER MOST IF WE DO NOTHING! To add insult to injury, the poorest and most marginalized are the people who most often seek acceptance in the secular community. These people are the people who are struggling THE MOST TO SURVIVE THIS WORLD torn by inequality and harm from every corner of the globe. We will never be able to move forward so long as we allow an abuser of power, a racist, a misogynist, to hold leadership, power, and to be the voice of us to the world. If we allow that person to perpetuate rape culture, racial inequality, and harm to the most marginalized and the poorest among us, that is a failure that causes at least one more PERSON to be a sufferer of pain and harm, if not more. If we allow that, then we have failed in our quests to help those coming to the same harm found in religions. When we allow our people to go unchecked, uncalled-out, and allowed to hurt the most vulnerable in our secular and atheist communities around the world it is a failure to both individuals and the communities we serve. So I will come out publicly with what has been happening in Houston, and what happened to me directly as a survivor of harm at the national, statewide, and even the most local area grassroots organizing level. Many will not believe me. It is not about you if you don't believe me, a survivor. I am not a victim. The only victims are those killed and no longer alive. It is about preventing harm and hurt and suffering for possible future victims/survivors and to make sure other survivors know they are not alone. It is not your fault, you are not alone, your suffering and trauma and pain are real and your feelings valid. There is help, and there are people here and all over the world fighting for justice for you (if you are not free to do so yourself, I was once not free to also so I know). Not one more rape! Until we see the day these injustices end, keep on speaking up if you can. If you need someone to talk to you can call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area via RAINN.
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As a survivor of reproductive coercion facing single motherhood I chose life, and through that difficult decision I also know firsthand why these freedoms must be protected. I choose now to fight for choice and for justice for those already born. Abortion wasn't the right choice for me, but my experiences making that choice have solidified my understanding that these choices must be left in the hands of the person experiencing the pregnancy. Pregnant people matter. Their feelings matter. Their pain matters. Their voices matter. We must listen to them in these situations or risk doing enormous injustice.
Inspired by: Why I Take It Personally When People Talk About Banning Abortion After 20 Weeks by Sarah Orsborn via HuffPo A report found that Texas leads the nation in clean drinking water violations. This means that Texas can't even provide clean safe water to its citizens consistently. Safe drinking water is crucial to human life. Infants and small children face the greatest risks when consuming unsafe water. If the TX Lege is so pro-life, they should be frantic to fix this situation, but they clearly are more interested in interfering with Women receiving healthcare. In other words, they want us to birth the babies but they could care less if those children then have safe drinking water. Access to safe clean drinking water should be a human right, not a privilege of the wealthy. This article is the source of the information and has a detailed map showing what counties have water safety violations and how many.
Source: http://kut.org/post/report-finds-texas-leads-nation-safe-drinking-water-act-violations |
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