Thanks to everyone at the DFP for featuring the One Million Voices benefit in Cambridge on Sunday. As one of the directors of the event, I was frustrated by other publications’ treatment of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. For example, on January 23, the anniversary itself, many of the daily papers glossed over the Boston pro-choice movement. Instead, one paper ran a picture of anti-choice rallies in Washington D.C., with a dismissing reference to the pro-choice activists’ counter-demonstration. That demonstration had neither the proximity nor the fresh appeal of our event– it was in Washington, not Boston, and the anti-choice demonstrations are an annual occurrence, whereas this is the first year for the One Million Voices campaign. By contrast, the DFP ran an article about the State House rally supporting contraceptive coverage in health insurance– a local event and a fresh topic (the bill will be voted upon Wednesday).
I wanted to clarify, however, that we had no drag queens at the event. Our drag kings, the Feed the Fire drag kings and Dred Gerestant, were as powerful and entertaining as any male gender illusionist, but the message sent by women dressed as men is different than by men dressed as women. As Dred tells her audiences, a woman in male drag proves that mysogyny is not tied to masculinity– drag kings are masculine *and* female friendly. They show the audience that maleness is not necessarily anti-femaleness– an empowering message for everyone, woman and man.
Thank you again for putting the benefit and our pro-choice message on the front page, and for your coverage of the Contraceptives Coverage Bill. Keeping the struggle for choice in the public eye is crucial to keeping Roe v. Wade alive.
Ciara LaVelle COM ’04
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