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Angelina Logan rallies in front of Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square for reproductive rights. photo credit: Tessa Paoli
This weekend people rallied in cities all across the county to defend reproductive rights, including Santa Rosa.
By 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, women, men and non-binary folks formed a line on third street, at one entrance of Old Courthouse Square, to show passing cars their signs.
Angelina Logan holds a sign reading "It's time to mess with Texas."
"As a woman of color, this abortion law is going to affect primarily women of color and non-binary people and trans people," Logal said. "And if these people were really pro life, they would care about the thousands of indigenous people, girls and two-spirit people that disappear everyday."
People of all ages, genders and backgrounds showed up to the rally, put on by the Sonoma County Democratic Party, to protest Texas' new abortion restrictions and defend reproductive rights everywhere as the Supreme Court Justices begin a new session today.
Officials and community leaders spoke throughout the rally, including Rohnert Park's Vice Mayor Jackie Elward.
Chacha Tracy and their partner showed up on Saturday to support reproductive rights. photo credit:
"Enough is enough," Elward said. "Our bodies, our choice!"
Deborah Colotti brought five homemade signs, including one that reads "No Woman has an abortion for fun." Colotti volunteered at a women's clinic around the time abortion was legalized in 1973. Because she's also had her own experience with abortion, she said it's past time for everyone, including men, to speak up.
"For the first time a lot of women are speaking up about their own abortions," Colotti said. "I think it's been kind of a shameful thing people have kept hidden."
And next to Colotti, Patricia Robinson held a sign with "Our voice our choice" in capital letters.
Patricia Robinson stands on third street in downtown Santa Rosa outside of Old Courthouse Square. photo credit: Tessa Paoli
"It's really nice to see, men, women, anyone of the alphabet coming out to support our right to choose," Robinson said. "As a person who's had an abortion and had to walk through a picket line, it's not fun at all. There's random strangers hurtling insults and slurs trying to scare you away and a lot of people do get scared away."
Robinson said restrictions on reproductive rights is a scary, slippery slope.
"We will also be persecuted for it but we shouldn't have to fear prosecution," Robinson said.
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