Press release from Stop Patriarchy!
August 13, 2012. New York, NY:
“The church must not be allowed to be a sanctuary for slavery and forced motherhood is female enslavement” said Sunsara Taylor upon her release from jail after a night at the MidTown North NYPD precinct. Taylor and fellow activist Alice Woodward were arrested on Sunday, August 12 at 1:05 pm as they were leaving St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The two were part of a group of women and men who stood up during a break in the church service and shouted, "Abortion on demand and without apology!" "Forced motherhood is female enslavement!" and “Stop the war on women!"
Beyond the Catholic Church’s long-standing opposition to both birth control and abortion, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the home of Cardinal Timothy Dolan who spearheaded the recent lawsuit and political outcry by Catholic bishops against new requirements that Catholic institutions provide birth control coverage to secular employees.
Taylor, an initiator of the movement to End Porn and Patriarchy; the enslavement and degradation of women, and writer for Revolution newspaper, has won the support of many in her stand against what she calls “The War on Women.” Actor Mark Ruffalo was among those who lent support to her upon hearing of her action, “If the catholic church decides to join in the political campaigns of certain political groups then the Catholic Church itself is fair game politically. There is no doubt a culture war on women is being waged and must be addressed. Sunsara is a treasure to our democracy; she is engaged, she is educated on the issues, she is fearless and she is willing to stand firmly for her beliefs in the ways that foster change.”
Organizers said that making this statement at St. Patrick’s cathedral was one part of 10-days of political protest that began in NYC on August 4, 2012 to “Take Patriarchy By Storm.” Taylor said, “There is a war on women. Women are full human beings, not sexual objects for the pleasure of men, not breeders, and capable of equality in every sphere.” On Saturday, Aug. 11, organizers say the message was brought across the city: inside a Hooters restaurant, into porn shops, and an anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy” center, and on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Sunsara Taylor, available for interview
contact: Joan Hirsch 917-520-6963
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"Sunsara Taylor is a citizen activist that in every interaction stands courageously behind her beliefs and for the basic human rights of equality promised by our constitution. She is not a criminal and must not be treated as such. Her actions reflect the desperate place where women find themselves culturally today. The hard won struggle for Women’s Rights is under siege by regressive right wing and political religious organizations. They are well funded and dominate the halls of congress with mobs of lobbyists. The common citizens only recourse in the current climate is to demonstrate in places of power. If the catholic church decides to join in the political campaigns of certain political groups then the Catholic Church itself is fair game politically. There is no doubt a culture war on women is being waged and must be addressed. Sunsara is a treasure to our democracy; she is engaged, she is educated on the issues, she is fearless and she is willing to stand firmly for her beliefs in the ways that foster change. Please do what is right and release Sunsara Taylor and Allison Woodward immediately so they can rejoin in speaking for the masses of underfunded and ignored. They are an important voice for the populace that find themselves voiceless and powerless in the cynical and chilling age of "Citizens United"."
Sincerely Yours
Mark Ruffalo