Protestors in ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ clothing greet Pence at Colorado speech
Vice President Pence was greeted by protestors cloaked in red robes outside a Friday speech in Colorado.
The protestors’ dress was an homage to the TV series and book “The Handmaid’s Tale,” in which women are treated as male property. One protestor carried a sign that read “Stop targeting women’s healthcare,” according to a photo posted on Twitter.
Protesters gather dressed as Handmaids to protest VP Pence and Focus on the Family on Friday, June 23. #penceCOS @csgazette pic.twitter.com/KKPGW17Qe0
— Caroline (@claganas73) June 23, 2017
“The handmaids lost all rights and it’s a closer reality than we’re comfortable with,” said protester Jessica Lawyer. #penceCOS @csgazette pic.twitter.com/or03CU68Di
— Caroline (@claganas73) June 23, 2017
“I’m here for women’s healthcare,” said Handmaid protester Deb Reardanz. “I don’t like his stance on birth control.” #penceCOS @csgazette pic.twitter.com/SNNEaKQl3q
— Caroline (@claganas73) June 23, 2017
One of the groups that planned the protest called it their way of “making kind of a shocking statement.” The protest was staged outside of Pence’s planned speech to Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian organization that takes strong conservative stances on political issues including abortion.
{mosads}“It’s a way of showing that Focus on the Family and Mike Pence stand for very restrictive, ‘traditional’ gender roles, opposition to choice for women and anti-LGBTQ positions,” Ryan Barry of Unite Colorado Springs told The Denver Post. “This is the way they see Focus, this backwards organization that’s promoting stuff that’s far beyond what most of us would consider applicable for modern society.”
Pence’s speech focused on the support President Trump has shown the religious right.
“Under this president’s leadership, life is winning in America,” Pence said, according to the Post. He also promised that the administration would stop federal money from going to Planned Parenthood, an organization many conservatives have targeted for its abortion and birth control services. The latest version of the Senate GOP’s healthcare legislation does so for a year.
Protestors in Texas last month also wore costumes channeling “The Handmaid’s Tale” to protest anti-abortion laws in Texas.
