Why I Am a Pro-Choice Dude

Guest writer Jonathan Grindell is an activist from Long Island, New York. He is a committed pro-choice advocate who attended the 2004 March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC. These are his words . . .

I am pro-choice because as an anarcha-feminist who society has forcibly identified as a male, there is no other way! I believe in autonomy and solidarity, thus nothing encompasses these qualities as much as identifying myself as a pro-choice “dude”. I am challenging my male privilege by not being a part of the majority of anti-choice dudes, as most of them readily identify as male, without having a second thought, and threaten womyn during the most stressful time of their lives. Hey, it’s not my body and I will not force others into such a decision. I am not a hypocrite who thinks the biological mother, under any and all circumstances, must birth the potential baby yet refuse to care about the mother or baby’s situation after birth. Nor am I a hypocrite by lobbying for the state to cage and murder individuals accused of breaking laws that were put on the books by elitists seeking to profit off of the working class. As an animal liberationist, I am aware of the massive suffering caused by the overpopulation of felines and canines. Imagine if we didn’t decide to make the humane choice to alleviate some of their future suffering. I refuse to take part in suffering and death to non-humyn animals, so I am vegan.

The recent assassination of Dr. Tiller, proves that anti-choice extremists are serious about waging murder. They feel validated as fundamentalists and the state does the bare minimum to stop them, as they ignored proven reason to believe that this would take place. Contrast that with animal and earth liberationists who protect tortured, sentient beings, thus causing no harm to life, yet they are considered terrorists and get the substantial prison sentences to prove it. The folks from Operation Rescue pose no economic threats nor do they promote any revolutionary changes to the system, so they are treated with kid gloves. Don’t wait for the government protect you! I support a womyn’s right to choose, regardless of anything else.

Feminism is something I strongly believe in. It is the guiding light towards my compassionate worldview. Being aware of privilege is not some empty rhetoric. It is the most vital tool I can use in this struggle. Patriarchy is at the root of being anti-choice by not allowing there to be a change in the way gender roles are perceived. Some people still believe that the bible determines what laws the state should enact. There is a thing called separation of church and state, though I’m all for separation of all of them!

If people are willing to kill abortion providers, it is not necessarily true that they are willing to die for their beliefs. These are cowardice acts! It’s simple to write this blog, but much harder to take action and do something about it. Heed my advice: Reproductive rights are humyn rights, whether or not the state upholds them. Don’t be silent when the time comes to fight for them!