I helped create ‘The Daily Show.’ Now I’m fighting for access to abortion

my first act to get rid of shit to give was to share my abortion history in Comedy Central back in 1992. That was the first and last time I was asked to do that on television. That’s when I learned that the corporate media, no matter how open, is not a place where activism will prosper.

My career was built at the intersection of comedy and social criticism, but while I was working on shows on for-profit media networks, there was a limit. The defendants were quick to remind me: “You’re a comedy writer, not an activist.” But I am both, and it was wrong to irritate people and not give them a way to defend themselves. I felt like a fool with anger.

Since they didn’t want me to be an activist, my spider sense told me that being he The pro-abortion comedian may also be frowned upon. So instead of trying to push an agenda that the corporate media didn’t want, I created the comedic activist model that was missing in the fight for reproductive health, rights, and justice. Lady Parts Justice League, now Abortion Access Front (AAF), is a gathering of comedians, writers, producers and activists doing what the mainstream media wasn’t doing: talking about abortion. We did charity shows, launched a podcast, and made funny videos calling out lies.

But dragging anti-abortion morons and making funny videos wasn’t enough. We wanted to mobilize people and help the public be part of the solution. We wanted to focus abortion providers and patients in the most marginalized communities, and we wanted them to tell us how we can help.

We called clinics and local activists in the states that were the most vulnerable, asking them what they needed, what community support we could help cultivate, and how we could help educate the public about their states’ obstacles. The response was often tearful: “Would you do that? Nobody has ever asked us what we need.”

and they need a lot. Everything from staff lunches, to protecting their websites from anti-abortion hackers, to landscaping and painting the clinic, or simply creating a fun event that could bring the public together so that they, in turn, could mobilize them.

What we learned from talking to abortion clinics is that often in the communities where they provide abortion services, they can’t get a company to repaint their building after it’s been vandalized or even get their grass mowed because people he doesn’t want to do it. do business with them. What if they find someone? Often, that company will be targeted to help them. When we knew that, we decided to hit the road. Through our comedy shows, we raise awareness, raise hell, and bring clinics and communities together.

Is that how it works:

About 12 comedians and activists get into vans and tour the United States. At each stop, we present a variety show that also features local vendors and advocates. The audience laughs, gets angry and listens. Often, this is the first time they have met their local abortion provider, and the first time providers have an audience full of people eager to support them. After each performance, audiences sign up to participate with locals and the support system grows stronger.

But that’s only half a tour stop. The other half spends a day or two in the clinic getting things done. We planted bushes in Raleigh and Huntsville, hosted a block party in Detroit with a bounce house and backpacks full of school supplies so the clinic could meet their neighbors and their kids, and in Cleveland, we brought in a taco truck. and a jacuzzi to boost morale after hundreds of protesters bombed his clinic. These people are working so hard for us that doing something good for them only happens if someone else can fix it. That’s us.

Each person can do something and the Abortion Access Front takes great pride in showing people all the ways they can make a difference and leading them to the people who need it most. We also love to make people laugh.

Activism takes many forms. Going to protests or lobbying politicians is not everyone’s job. AAF works with people, learning their passions and skills, and turning them into the activists they want to be. That’s the core of what we do: empowering people to make their own change and connect to a movement in a real and meaningful way.

When Roe v. Wade fell in June, people wanted to do more than just another march. In July, AAF was launched Operation Save Abortion, a reproductive justice-based training series, led by experts in the various aspects of abortion activism. We wanted to create a day of learning that explored all the ways people who wanted to get involved could participate and choose a track that spoke to them and then turn it into a long-lasting series that anyone could participate in in their own time.

We had over 11,000 people from all 50 states involved and helped them connect with local organizers. In real time, participants learned, discussed new concepts, and overcame their own biases while independently connecting with each other to find themselves and get into good trouble.

Each person can do something and the Abortion Access Front takes great pride in showing people all the ways they can make a difference and leading them to the people who need it most. We also love to make people laugh.

When director Ruth Leitman approached us in 2016 to continue our work, we had to say yes. With so many media outlets running away from abortion as too divisive or too risky an issue, she wanted to run to it and help spread the word.

The AAF saw the Roe The writing was on the wall as soon as we started touring the country in 2016. We became experts on how bigots were carrying out coordinated state efforts to end abortion, and that gave us our momentum and clarified our mission. The result is Nobody asked youa new documentary film which just premiered at DOC NYC.

As I write, we have traveled to 33 states, turning audiences into agents of change. This documentary has followed us every step of the way and shows the brave work of vendors and how a group of comedians-turned-activists created a whole new way to fight back, creating opportunities available to all. We hope you watch it and are inspired to join us so we can put you to work. We got the world we fought for, and if we want reproductive freedom, we must all step up.