a violence a violation

in 2019 I was raped just a few days before I testified at the capitol to prevent maternal deaths.

rape is a violation of bodily autonomy for the purposes of control and oppression. it is one facet of the same violence that brings about maternal death inequities as well as abortion bans.

this violence and its antidotes — resonant, relational connection — are deeply and inextricably intertwined. it is why my work and practice has always been here, somewhere in the middle of sex and rape and pregnancy and abortion and birth and death.

what makes me hopeful is the endless creativity, inspiration, resilience of sex workers, abortion workers, birth workers — the unshakeable commitment to fierce joy. I stood by the barricades at Pride this weekend and wept for the reminder. queer and disabled and bipoc people and survivors have each other — we have us — as we have for generations, as we will for generations.

I took this series of photos last year, as part of my own reckoning with violence and restoring pleasure and tenderness. they make me feel whole again, and unbreakable.