For me, college has marked an exploration of personal identity, providing a connection to vast networks of social justice that are as confusing as they are exciting. Volunteering at Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) this summer has been the icing on the cake to a year full of discovering patriarchy, feminism, and their connection to policy -- from their simplest forms to their most evolved. However, I did not expect that Planned Parenthood would serve as an avenue to involvement in other forms of activism.
I initially realized the variety of identities that Planned Parenthood’s serves when I attended an LGBTQ+ Pride celebration in Nashua. Tabling with PPNHAF at the event gave me an opportunity to interact with individuals who had been personally impacted by Planned Parenthood or who were in need of Planned Parenthood’s services. Multiple people came up to the table to ask for information regarding hormone therapy, STD testing, and countless other health care concerns that impacted the community. Meeting with people at Nashua Pride expanded my idea of what a Planned Parenthood patient looks like: anyone can benefit from Planned Parenthood's services and many people do.
Through attending Pride and other events in New Hampshire, I’ve learned that Planned Parenthood is not simply for women who have historically benefited from mainstream feminism -- it has expanded and opened its doors to many, regardless of personal identity. What were once exclusive services for the privileged are now accessible through a health care provider for those who harbor intersections of identities across spectrums and spaces. To be a Planned Parenthood activist is to be linked to struggles of class, race, gender, and sexuality; it is a community of people reflective of the world we live in.
Tags: LGBTQ, pride, pride month