Women encouraged to go on dating and sex strikes as a protest against threat to Roe v. Wade
Justice Anthony Kennedy’s announcement that he’ll retire from the Supreme Court this summer has sparked new concerns that a second Trump appointee on the bench could help overturn rulings that conflict with conservative views — including Roe v. Wade.
While politicians consider whether or not they’d support a nominee who opposes the 1973 decision that legalized abortion, some women have a strategy to drum up support for a woman’s right to choose: the #Lysistrata2018 movement.
Named after Aristophanes’s ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, in which women refuse to sleep with their warring husbands until they agree to a truce, the movement is the brainchild of author and political journalist Jennifer Wright.
In a tweet posted on Monday, Wright suggested that single women stop dating and having sex with men expressing anti-abortion views. Women could indicate their stance by adding the female judge emoji to their dating profiles.
We're very likely to lose Roe Vs. Wade. Some men may think that doesn't concern them. Make it.
If you're single and dating, add a 👩??? emoji to your dating profiles to show people you won't date/sleep with anyone who doesn't support a woman's right to choose.#Lysistrata2018
— Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) July 2, 2018
Wright’s tweet soon went viral, with several women expressing support for a sex strike.
Wow #Lysistrata2018 is an amazing hashtag 👩🏼??? I stopped dating non-feminists years ago but why not make it explicit? Pro-Roe or bust, y’all.
— Fiona Erickson (@AllAboutFi) July 2, 2018
if they don't care about you having the right to have a safe abortion, than they don't care about you. I'm looking at you, 55% of white women who voted for 45. #Lysistrata2018 https://t.co/lpgHsNftLf
— Rosemary Cipriano (@rosiecip) July 2, 2018
As longtime HD Tweeps know, HD is a Republican-free zone when it comes to dating already. But I am all in for this plan. I am SO tired of men making decisions for women. I am personally tired of people telling me to “calm down” when it comes to Roe v Wade. #Lysistrata2018 https://t.co/TPztzs4zcY
— HawaiiDelilah (@HawaiiDelilah) July 2, 2018
I won't even have a drink with someone who doesn't support women's right to choose. 👩??? #Lysistrata2018
(Had to copy/paste the emoji, but worth the trouble.)— (((J M 'Born Uncivil' Kelly))) (@netsinger) July 2, 2018
#LYSISTRATA2018 I have never felt so strongly about a hashtag https://t.co/pzVS8OkrIv
— Zoe knows we should abolish ICE (@zoeprglr) July 2, 2018
If I were still single, I’d be ALL over #Lysistrata2018 on Tinder. Greek tragedy AND women’s rights? Hot diggity.
No but seriously anyone who doesn’t support your autonomy of your own body belongs far, far away from your bedroom.
— This Girl, Claire (@ThisGirlClaire) July 2, 2018
Look, there are women for whom sex with a man resulting in children could mean death or life ruining children consequences so I am all for #Lysistrata2018, we ladies aren’t having sex with men anymore until you give us our abortion & birth control rights back.
— Andrea Lambert (@AndreaLamber) July 3, 2018
Of course, not everyone was on board with Wright’s suggestion. She shared complaints she’d received from men, one of whom called a ban on sex over abortion rights “blackmail.”
Her response: “It sure does suck when people restrict your choices.”
There are already guys complaining about how unfair this is, which, yeah, it sure does suck when people restrict your choices. #Lysistrata2018 👩??? pic.twitter.com/tVrOnxayBY
— Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) July 2, 2018
If these men start claiming that they’re now “involuntary celibates” in response to #Lysistrata2018 … May I remind them that being a shitty person who doesn’t believe in reproductive rights is A CHOICE and therefore VOLUNTARY
— 🌿lauren (@unsoundedbelief) July 2, 2018
I like how that first guy thinks that any straight guy that supports women’s rights HAS to be lying to try to get sex 🙄
— David (@mcmax3000) July 2, 2018
Wright told Yahoo Lifestyle that she’s heard from both women and men who have added the symbol.
“People on the right have been screaming for years that if women don’t want to get pregnant they should just keep their legs closed,” she said. “If men truly feel that way, it seems pretty sensible to take their advice and close our legs to them.”
Will Tinder and Bumble be flooded with the female judge emoji — and could it make a difference in protecting Roe v. Wade? It’s too soon to tell — and Trump won’t be naming his SCOTUS nominee until July 9 — but as Wright has noted, sex strikes aren’t merely a plot device used by ancient Greek playwrights. Quartz has a rundown of the most successful strikes in history, including the 2003 sex ban that helped end the Liberian civil war.
Last year, singer Janelle Monáe also suggested that a sex strike could be an effective statement for women’s rights.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Walgreens pharmacist denies woman miscarriage medication because of his beliefs
Middle school teacher under fire for showing students graphic videos about abortion
Death threats against abortion providers have doubled since Trump took office
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