Reproductive Rochester

In my previous post on the "Upstate" debate, I touched briefly on the idea some of us "Upstaters" have proposed that it may be more beneficial for the supposed Upstate and Downstate regions of New York State to secede from one another. I neglected to address how that could potentially change the political make-up of this region of the state. It has been suggested by some that in the unlikely event that New York State was rent in twain, with New York City, Long Island, and possibly some of the Hudson Valley counties as the new New York State and the rest of the state as a new entity, this would leave the downstate region as a Blue State thanks to all the forward-thinkers and liberals in New York. It is theorized that we of the former "Upstate" region (what would we be called? Old York? New Netherlands? Upstateland?) would become a Red State - after all, what would be left of us would be a great deal of farmland and small, largely rust-belt cities, both of which tend to embrace what might be considered "traditional family values."

As for me, as a dirty-hippie-tree-hugging-bleeding-heart-liberal, this would surely lead me to many beating of breasts and gnashings of teeth during election seasons, the main time I actually pay attention to politics. However, when I heard of this thought initially, that we of the "Upstate" region (Upstaters? Upstatians?), it led me to ponder about my own region - are we in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region so conservative? While the Mayor of Rochester has been a Democrat for as long as I can remember, the town elections tend to be a fairly even spread between Reds and Blues.

When I think about how I measure the political temperament of an area, one of the things I take into account is how open it is in terms of sex education and reproductive rights. Whilst I tend to bumble a good deal in terms of different political causes, I personally believe in everyone's access to information and resources in terms of contraception, honest reproductive options (versus misleading scare tactics), and affordable pre-natal care.

In terms of this, I believe that Rochester scores pretty well. Our primary resource is Planned Parenthood of the Rochester and Syracuse region, and our particular chapter is really quite active. This includes education, advocacy, and resources. This Thursday, 6/24, they are sponsoring their first Sex and Justice on Tap, a get together to meet their steering committee for REAL (Rising Educators Advocates & Leaders for Planned Parenthood, "a group of young, professionally and socially active people who are dedicated to building and strengthening PPRSR ties in the Rochester community") and to collaborate and raise funds with the aim of assisting all in having access to the information to manage their own sexual and reproductive health. Why is it called "On Tap?" because it is being hosted by Tap & Mallet, a small gastro-pup in the trendy South Wedge area, who is even offering complimentary drinks and nosh (and by the way, their drink selection is amazing and their food delicious - expect a post about them upcoming!). I think it's inspiring that a successful local business is putting itself out there to support a cause they believe in this manner. Kudos to you, Tap & Mallet.

If it were simply this, I would smile to myself that an awesome business is supporting a cause in which I believe. But wait, there's more! What is even more inspiring to me is when young people can also take a stand for their beliefs - hell, it's uplifting enough that they even form their own beliefs, let alone that they express them.

Enter Max Kamin-Cross. He's a Pittsford teen I had never heard of up until recently. Apparently, certain students in his high school had planned a pro-life day, including wearing shirts with such phrases as "Abortion Kills A Person." Now, I know when I was a teenager some kids wore shirts like this, and while I knew they were entirely within their rights to do so, it still made me silently seethe. Not young Mr. Kamin-Cross. He wrote to the local Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America who donated shirts, pins, and bumper stickers to him and his own cohort of students who chose to wear their own Pro-Choice shirts. Interestingly, on the day of the scheduled "day of the shirts," only 25 wore pro-life shirts whilst over 100 wore pro-choice gear, an interesting turn of events given that Pittsford is a predominantly Republican area.

Politics aside, here what is even more inspiring about that story: Kids on both sides of the debate were involved. Both voiced their opinions in a non-offensive, respectful manner. Remembering how confrontational high school could be, I suppose it is likely that individuals on both sides of the fence could have been outright jerks about their particular viewpoint ("I AM RIGHT YOU ARE WRONG AND SHOULD JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!") - but still, this was, in essence, an organized, passive protest. The fact that young people are doing that, regardless of their beliefs, did that, is enough to give me hope that when these kids enter the world they will aspire to create the change they wish to see.