This was incredibly helpful, there are pieces I’ll be sharing with friends who have been struggling to express their thoughts/views in this way. Thank you for writing this ❤️
As someone who looks like an older white dude with a daughter in her 30s and a granddaughter at 3 1/2, I’m now researching the Grandfathers for YES! group and modeling what they do. Are there already active groups like this for the American movement? Only if you know off-hand, I can Google myself -- you are busy. If you know and have a contact, put me in touch. My time is my own and I’m a bit of a loud-mouth troublemaker. Just want to make sure I’m making the right kind of trouble.
So pissed off about this. My battlefield of choice has been LinkedIn... lots of dudes outing themselves over there... I even got ... a bit suspended for an hour because I said something one of them didn’t like... 🤷♂️
Benny McCabe and Kevin Cronin ... apparently they just print a large banner, pick a spot with other grandfathers and unfurl it. Drink coffee and eat doughnuts... (we have a mutual “friend” in the doughnut game 😉 ... ) Anyway, I’m in the process of reaching out. Maybe we’re talking local chapters everywhere of old men standing, holding banners everywhere... we can do this ... Here’s an article... Benny/Kevin would be awesome guests on your podcast ... https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2020/1105/1176144-listen-grandfathers-against-racism/ ... not a lot of press, but I think we can change that. Every roaring inferno starts with a spark... this is mine...
Thank you Gerard for taking the passion to LinkedIn and reaching out to those guys, maybe they can do a bit of a US tour with their banners! I am utterly shocked how openly dudes are willing to out themselves as jerks on LinkedIn...like, talk about brazen. Totally wild.
If you wind up getting a bunch of grandpas together to protest in NY let me know and I'll bring the donuts!
I just wanted to make a comment about how he wrote “nobody ever WANTS an abortion btw, usually a whole lot of things need to go wrong to wind up needing one”.
I find this dismissive, like it’s putting conditions on getting an abortion. A whole lot of things DO NOT “need” to go wrong to wind up “needing” one. All that “needs” to happen is that a person with a uterus gets pregnant and doesn’t “WANT” to be.
I got pregnant when I was 15 and I absolutely WANTED an abortion…and it didn’t take a whole lot of things going wrong for me to want one.
Yeah I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be dismissive there. What I was trying to convey (and could have done a better job communicating) is that you didn't have sex at 15 because you desired (wanted) to have an abortion, you hopefully had sex because you wanted to have sex (which is fine if everyone's on board with it, obviously). But when you became pregnant (either because something went wrong, like contraception failed, or because you didn't realize how easily you could get pregnant), your want for an abortion arose out of the need for one in that moment. But you're correct and I apologize, saying "a whole lot of things" need to go wrong is imprecise language that can make it sound like a judgement on intention. If you're pregnant and don't want to be, that's the only qualification for someone to want and NEED that access. Appreciate the opportunity and space to clarify that point.
This was incredibly helpful, there are pieces I’ll be sharing with friends who have been struggling to express their thoughts/views in this way. Thank you for writing this ❤️
thanks for sharing melanie!
As someone who looks like an older white dude with a daughter in her 30s and a granddaughter at 3 1/2, I’m now researching the Grandfathers for YES! group and modeling what they do. Are there already active groups like this for the American movement? Only if you know off-hand, I can Google myself -- you are busy. If you know and have a contact, put me in touch. My time is my own and I’m a bit of a loud-mouth troublemaker. Just want to make sure I’m making the right kind of trouble.
So pissed off about this. My battlefield of choice has been LinkedIn... lots of dudes outing themselves over there... I even got ... a bit suspended for an hour because I said something one of them didn’t like... 🤷♂️
I love this group too I had no idea they existed, thanks to james!!
Benny McCabe and Kevin Cronin ... apparently they just print a large banner, pick a spot with other grandfathers and unfurl it. Drink coffee and eat doughnuts... (we have a mutual “friend” in the doughnut game 😉 ... ) Anyway, I’m in the process of reaching out. Maybe we’re talking local chapters everywhere of old men standing, holding banners everywhere... we can do this ... Here’s an article... Benny/Kevin would be awesome guests on your podcast ... https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2020/1105/1176144-listen-grandfathers-against-racism/ ... not a lot of press, but I think we can change that. Every roaring inferno starts with a spark... this is mine...
I hadn't heard of them either until I read Helen Lewis' article, "How To Win The Abortion Debate" in The Atlantic (link in case anyone missed it above: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/feminist-activism-roe-abortion-debate/629769/)
Thank you Gerard for taking the passion to LinkedIn and reaching out to those guys, maybe they can do a bit of a US tour with their banners! I am utterly shocked how openly dudes are willing to out themselves as jerks on LinkedIn...like, talk about brazen. Totally wild.
If you wind up getting a bunch of grandpas together to protest in NY let me know and I'll bring the donuts!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I would have missed the Grandfathers for Yes otherwise.
Dropping this in my comments so I won’t lose it. I hope y’all don’t mind. Old folks against the overturn of Roe v Wade. https://twitter.com/kristinmink_/status/1525513872228098049?s=21&t=bIy4PLUHekHZoBQXMZROcA
Correction; old MEN... were mighty pissed off, too.... figuring out this organization that’s gotta happen and the men already doing the work...
I just wanted to make a comment about how he wrote “nobody ever WANTS an abortion btw, usually a whole lot of things need to go wrong to wind up needing one”.
I find this dismissive, like it’s putting conditions on getting an abortion. A whole lot of things DO NOT “need” to go wrong to wind up “needing” one. All that “needs” to happen is that a person with a uterus gets pregnant and doesn’t “WANT” to be.
I got pregnant when I was 15 and I absolutely WANTED an abortion…and it didn’t take a whole lot of things going wrong for me to want one.
Yeah I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be dismissive there. What I was trying to convey (and could have done a better job communicating) is that you didn't have sex at 15 because you desired (wanted) to have an abortion, you hopefully had sex because you wanted to have sex (which is fine if everyone's on board with it, obviously). But when you became pregnant (either because something went wrong, like contraception failed, or because you didn't realize how easily you could get pregnant), your want for an abortion arose out of the need for one in that moment. But you're correct and I apologize, saying "a whole lot of things" need to go wrong is imprecise language that can make it sound like a judgement on intention. If you're pregnant and don't want to be, that's the only qualification for someone to want and NEED that access. Appreciate the opportunity and space to clarify that point.
Thank you for taking the effort to reach "dudes."
I appreciate the clarification and apology. Language is always important.
People with uteruses can both want and need an abortion. Some people may not want to have an abortion but need to have one. I wanted and needed one.