Reflections on the Eve of Electing our First Women President
Many of you may remember the sound of the voice of the man seeking the highest office in the land, saying “When you're a star, they let you do anything…” And how it felt to wake up that November morning with the news that a serial sexual harasser and offender was going to be the next President of the United States. You may remember what it felt like two years later to have Dr Christine Blasey Ford say, “It is indelible to the hippocampus… the sound of their laughter.” For many of you, a memory just like that one may be embedded in your hippocampus, and you may also know what it has felt like to have your words and experiences dismissed, as hers were, when Brett Kavanaugh took his seat on the United States Supreme Court. And you almost certainly remember what it felt like when the tree that these men planted bore its fruit: the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and setting off a chain reaction of increased fetal and maternal mortality, among so many other tragic outcomes.
All of these actions were and are about control and maintaining power: control that is rooted in our nation's very founding by White land-owning men, who owned the labor, production, and often the very bodies of the women and people of color around them. Those who seek to maintain the patriarchal norms of control will pull every lever they can to maintain that status quo, and much of the rage and violent rhetoric we are seeing and hearing now is about maintaining those norms. Misogyny, misogynoir, and control have been the defining themes of the election. Rhetoric about weakness and strength, violent and demeaning language aimed at women campaigning with Harris, Trump’s promise to ‘protect women, whether they like it or not,’ and the campaign has placed their biggest ad buys on anti-trans messages.
But we have levers too. The one we are going to pull right now is to ensure we elect the people who will protect our democracy, our climate, our bodies, and our futures. The first stop is the ballot box.
Two weeks ago our board and staff gathered for a full day in Orono at our annual organization retreat. Our team comes from across the state; we represent 13 counties, range from our 20s to our 70s, share a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, countries of origin, socioeconomic statuses, gender identity, and sexuality. Most of our time was spent on planning for what happens after the election, so that no matter what happens on election day, the Maine Women's Lobby is in the strongest possible position to advance the health, safety, and autonomy of people who experience sexism in Maine.
There was the overwhelming feeling that we face twin threats, no matter what happens. In the event of a hostile Legislature or administration, we face fatigue as our community is ground down by the onslaught of sexism, racism, and violent rhetoric. In a more friendly Legislature or administration, people may feel complacent, that the work is done and turn away.
Both of those threats, fatigue or complacency, push people out of the work and out of the system - especially if they are already marginalized and excluded. So as we face the results of the election this week (or later! Careful and accurate counts may take time!), we must remember that the antidote to both of these threats is the same: community. We have to resist the urge to turn away, and instead, come together. It is building our communities, our connections, and our care for one another that will allow us to weather the storm, to battle the fatigue, to demand action over complacency. Community is what will give us the fuel to continue the work left before us.
And there is plenty of work before us. No matter what happens, there will be work to do. No matter who is elected, the Maine Legislature will convene in the first week of January. They will be drafting and proposing policy, and quite a lot of it will become law. No matter who is elected, we will face a tide of challenges, not only here in Maine, but as we seek peace, safety and stability across the globe.
The ballot box is just the beginning. What happens next, policy making in any administration still offers the opportunity to make powerful changes in the daily lives of Mainers. In the last few years we have expanded reproductive freedom, access to gender-affirming care, access to essential services for women’s health (historically left out of ‘standard’ care) like mammograms, coverage for birth injuries (considered cosmetic surgery until just a few years ago!), and new systems like the creation of Paid Family and Medical Leave. Some of these fly under the radar, but for someone putting off that mammogram because they can't afford the copay, policy can change a life.
Whatever this week brings us, we at the Maine Women’s Lobby will be working to build our community of members, partners and allies; to continue pushing back against the sexist and racist attacks on our neighbors and leaders; and to identify policy paths that increase equity and dignity. As we said in our endorsement of Kamala Harris this summer, the long slow grind of change, bill by bill, election by election, is our daily fare. We make the best decisions we can in each cycle to work toward our dream of equity, and also reduce harm. We hope you will join us.
