This administration appears to be celebrating Women’s History Month in the most ironic way possible – by aggressively attacking gender equality and trying to reverse decades of hard-fought wins.
The series of civil rights violations started last month when Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor joined 21 other states and signed on to a lawsuit to deny Alaskans access to medication abortion.
Then, last week, the state Attorney General successfully imposed his anti-abortion views on the private sector and Walgreens stopped working to provide Alaskans with critical safe medication. Over the weekend, it was reported that the state’s human rights commission quietly did an about-face, wrongly restricting constitutional protections against sex discrimination for LGBTQIA2S+ Alaskans.
The latest attack on gender equality happened just yesterday, when Governor Dunleavy announced his own version of a “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The governor’s proposed legislation would impose statewide policies on local schools that would force them to deny access to basic information and necessary services for our students and families.
All of this is driving wedges between people, and creating dangerous situations for all Alaskans.
When our government tells Alaskans what we can’t say or do, they are telling us what we can’t be. Our government is policing our bodily autonomy, our freedom of choice, and our fundamental right to be free thinkers.
None of this is pro-family. None of this builds stronger, healthier, safer communities. It is fundamentally un-Alaskan.
Alaskans are welcoming. We know, even when our government doesn’t, that we need each other no matter what - no matter where we come from, who we love or how we identify ourselves.
We know, even when our government doesn’t, that we are in this together. We need every one of us to be free and safe, living as our full selves, if our state is to succeed. This is one of our core beliefs and our best hope. On International Women’s Day, join us as we speak out in support of human and civil rights for all Alaskans.
