Sarena Marrisa Sohan/Fourth Estate
Planned Parenthood guest speaker leads discussion at Generation Action meeting
BY SARENA MARRISA SOHAN, STAFF WRITER
On Nov. 12, Mason’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action (GenAct) chapter held their November meeting in the Johnson Center. Attendees were offered baked goods and Planned Parenthood-themed coloring sheets to practice mindfulness during the hour-long event. Rhea Simon, a guest speaker from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) led the discussion on intersectionality and reproductive justice that evening.
In a statement located on their website, PPAV is “a statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to preserve and broaden access to reproductive health care through legislation, public education, electoral activity and litigation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
The meeting follows the Virginia legislature making national headlines with their “advance efforts” to become “the first Southern state to expand constitutional protections for abortion access.”
The discussion opened with community guidelines and the question: “How do we keep each other safe while stepping into our bravery?” Simon emphasized the importance of speaking with care and listening actively, but that it was also okay to make mistakes during the discussion. The slideshow presented during the meeting was created by Ally Walchak, a community organizer at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
Afterwards, attendees gathered into small groups to discuss topics such as gun violence, climate, disability justice & COVID 19, minimum wage, housing and LGBTQ+ solidarity. They then rejoined the discussion to share their group’s findings. Questions such as “who is ‘worthy’ of [health] care, and what barriers may be in place for people labeled as ‘unworthy’,” “think about our nation’s housing policies and who is affected or targeted,” and the intersection of these concepts were discussed.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, the American advocate who coined “intersectionality,” the theory examining the “intercrossing of different identities,” was discussed throughout the presentation. To illustrate how individuals with “intersectional experiences can be overlooked,” Simon explained Crenshaw’s basement metaphor: “Imagine a house with different floors representing various forms of oppression… The main floors represent the dominant narratives of feminist and anti-racist theories that often fail to [acknowledge] the intersection of multiple identities. Feminist theories may focus on primarily gender, while anti-racist theories may focus primarily on race, leaving the intersecting experience individuals in the basement.”
Sarena Marrisa Sohan/Fourth Estate
Simon connected the basement metaphor to abortion and reproductive health care, emphasizing that it is a healthcare issue that affects everyone. “It is women, non-binary, trans men, gender non-conforming issues…” Simon said. “…it’s crucial to integrate intersection perspectives into analysis and advocacy ensuring that all layers of oppression are addressed.”
Language was also discussed throughout the presentation. “It’s really critical that we don’t use language such as pro-choice because not everyone in this country has had a choice in their healthcare, especially latinx, indigenous and black individuals…” Simon said.
Simon explored how phrases such as reproductive health care, reproductive rights and reproductive justice have been incorrectly used interchangeably. Reproductive health care refers to “the direct care of an individual’s needs” while reproductive rights deal with “the legal rights to reproductive health care services.” Reproductive justice refers to “the human right to control one’s body, sexuality, gender, work, and reproduction.”
The legislative team at PPAV works closely with members of the Virginia General Assembly to protect reproductive services for Virginians.
Students interested in learning more about Mason’s GenAct chapter may visit their profile on Instagram.
