You’d look much better if you’d smile.

At nine, I “became a woman.” I dressed in my mother’s royal purple saree and gold bangles. I was gifted ladoos and kaja katli. My head was anointed with oil, my hair braided in a plait, strung with a garland of jasmine flowers, and I was told that being a woman was a blessing, something to be celebrated.

At ten, my body was violated and suddenly it was not quite sacred enough to protect, because, “well, he’s family too.”

Boys will be boys. The Constitution does not take sides on the issue of abortion.

In South Indian tradition, puberty celebrations feature the girl’s maternal uncle as a significant role in the ritual. I have two maternal uncles and the only significant role they’ve played in a woman’s life is ruining it.

At fifteen, when I brought up this abuse, the patriarchal and matriarchal leaders in my family all  agreed “This is a family matter.”

She was asking for it.

Well, why didn’t she just leave?

It’s her fault for staying.

Boys will be boys, girls will be women.

Why is she trying to ruin his future? asks the father of a star swimmer rapist.

For weeks, Chanel Miller was referred to as “Emily Doe”or “unconscious intoxicated woman,” but she has always had a name.

The Constitution does not take sides on…

Slavery. The Constitution only obliquely referred to the issue of slavery for years because they did not want to morally stain this document. Instead, they said nothing. Nothing is better, right?

The States may, if they wish, permit abortion on demand, but the Constitution does not require them to do so.

The federal government should not be involved in states rights? Except it has used that power when it was profitable for their constituents. They actively removed Indigenous peoples from their land so Southern landowners could profit off native cotton fields.

When enslaved peoples headed North, Southerners who owned enslaved people wanted the federal government to take a stance and they did. They found, returned, and punished enslaved people for trying to free themselves. Was this a Constitutional necessity or was it just Abuse of Power? If so, is this silence or so-called bipartisan stance on the issue of abortion also an Abuse of Power? It’s almost as if our silence does not protect us. We must name it. It’s almost as if Audre has a name. It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten that they do not save us, we save us.

Black and brown trans women are the reason Obergefell v. Hodges could be. It’s almost as if Marsha and Sylvia have names. It’s almost as if trans and nonbinary people should be included in the dialogue on reproductive justice. It’s almost as if they are often left out in order to pretend this fight is new.

Black folks are the reason we have civil rights today. John, a creator of good trouble said:

“Patience is a dirty and nasty word.”  We cannot be patient, we do not want to be free gradually, we want our freedom, and we want it now. 

Asian American folks would not have their rights without Black activists and rebels. From the Black Power movement, the Asian American civil rights movement was born. Grace Lee said, “You make your path by walking.” So we walked.

Indian folks inspired the feminist movement in this country. Margaret, leader of the American birth control movement, was most inspired by Avabai, a reproductive rights activist in India. Angela told us there was a natural solidarity between Black Americans and Dalit Indians in their mutual fight against subjugation. We can’t wait for them to decide when we are free.

SYA said Fuck Scotus we’re doing it anyways.

Sam said:

LiKE, MAN,

I’M TiRED

  (OF WAiTiNG)

It’s almost as if we the people have learned from each other and taken down incomprehensible monsters already. Abortion rights were a driving force this midterm election and guess, what? Most Americans are in favor of choice.

They want you to think they hold the power. They want you to elect people to save you. We must vote. If it did not matter, they would not be trying so hard to silence us, but do not think, for one second even, that a man in a shiny black robe will ever, ever have power over you. It’s almost as if the fight is not over till we are all free.

We the people hold the power, and that is indeed something to be celebrated.

This essay was previously published at Huq: I Seek No Favor

     

About the Author

Suhasini Yeeda (she/her) is a first-generation queer Indian American from Dallas, Texas. Her work appears or is forthcoming at Ms. Magazine, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Indian Review, Madcap Review, Packingtown Review, and the Arroyo Seco Press Anthology Redshift 5. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and a one-time nominee for The Best American Short Stories and Best of the Net. She holds her MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a BA from Texas Wesleyan University. She is the owner at NITI Communications, a small business dedicated to uplifting QTBIPOC smalls businesses and individuals. Suhasini lives in Los Angeles, loves to bake, and is passionate about the oxford comma.  

Supporting Reproductive Rights

This is a critical time in our fight to preserve access to abortion and reproductive healthcare. We believe that every action counts. Here are three things you can do.

1. Fight stigmatization by sharing your story and/or supporting people who have shared their stories. Supportive comments and likes make a big difference to the people who have chosen to share their personal experiences.
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3. Reach out to your representatives on the federal, state, and local levels and tell them that you want them to pass legislation that protects reproductive rights including abortion access. Guttmacher Institute has a list of state-level policies that you can advocate for.
4. Donate to organizations committed to protecting access to safe and legal abortions. Marie Claire has a great list of pro-choice organizations. And please check out SisterSong, an organization that champions reproductive justice.

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