At BUST, we are all about our reproductive rights – both celebrating them and fighting for them. So you bet that we’ll be partying with #ShoutYourAbortion at their “Party Across ‘Murica” this Sunday.
The women and men behind Shout Your Abortion – which you probably know from the viral hashtag where women worldwide opened up about their positive experiences with abortion – are taking the conversation off Twitter with three concurrent parties held in Brooklyn, Chicago and Seattle.
The parties grew out of a button making party in Seattle in September, shortly after the hashtag went viral.
“So many friends had come forward with their stories, and we wanted to get our community together to further the conversation and continue to support each other and the cause,” Kimberly Morrison told BUST.
“Many of us are musicians, and many people wear buttons to show which bands they support. Why not make buttons to show support for SYA? Buttons bring visibility to the movement, and can also be great conversation starters. People bring button makers, printers, scissors, markers, etc. Some people have design ideas, some have computer skills; people do whatever it is they know how to bring those concepts to life. It feels good to combine skill sets and make something together.”
One button making party wasn’t enough – and friends in Chicago (author/musician Brian Costello) and New York (Ashley Tucker, who’s worked with the feminist group National Women’s Liberation) stepped up to help expand.
Ashley Tucker said, “Having had an abortion 10 years ago that I kept relatively quiet about, I was so moved and inspired by the campaign from the outset and jumped at the opportunity to bring it here to NYC. Hearing from Kimberly what an amazing success the button parties had been in Seattle, I thought throwing a bi/’tri’- coastal button party would be a great way to bring us all together, in person, at once, across the country.”
Brian Morrison said, “The ‘local chapters’ of #shoutyourabortion began partly in response to finding ways for people to transcend shame and stigma to share their stories in a supportive online environment free of right-wing trolling scumfucks, and also as a way to plan events, protests, etc at the local level. It started in Seattle, and Chicago and NYC came about through our connections. This is only the beginning; we’d like to see SYA chapters start in every city, town, suburb.”
The parties will provide a space to talk about abortion, make buttons and plan what’s next. In Chicago, there will also be live music by Outer Minds, Li’l Tits and Strawberry Jacuzzi, a performance by sex-positive dance troupe Fly Honeys and artwork (an $8 admission fee will be charged in Chicago, with 100% going to Planned Parenthood.)
Ashley said, “I think it really demonstrates that, though #ShoutYourAbortion is a phenomenon that was born on the internet, it is a living, breathing movement made up of real women and men whose real life experiences are shared throughout the country, from coast to coast. And we want to talk about those experiences together, and really channel their weight and power. Connecting with each other offline like this serves to further humanize, personalize and diversify what it means and what it looks like to be someone who has had an experience with abortion – and that strengthens the movement.”
“This is only the beginning,” said Brian.
For information on the parties, see below.
New York:
Sunday, November 22nd, 2-6pm EST at the Hollow Nickel, 494 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Chicago:
Sunday, November 22, 9pm CST at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL
Seattle:
Sunday, November 22nd, 6pm PST at Speckled & Drake, 1355 E. Olive Way, Seattle, WA
Photos: Amelia Bonow
More from BUST
10 Celebrities Who Have Had Abortions And Don’t Regret It
#ShoutYourAbortion Goes Beyond The Hashtag: Video
#ShoutYourAbortion Founder Amelia Bonow Talks Going Viral And Fighting The Trolls: BUST Interview
