Why was her interruption handled so horrendously? All she did was talk, albeit loudly. Men who have sought power and spotlight are triggered by the mere sound of a woman’s raised voice, lashing out or, in the case of Representative Kevin Hern, freezing up.
In Glenpool, Oklahoma, a citizen asked Hern a simple question about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and his squirmy nonresponse is more damning than giving an actual answer would have been. She and another attendee had to repeat the question several times to get anything out of him, but her conviction did not waver.
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Hern should be embarrassed by his gutlessness, though not as embarrassed as “Chairwoman” French. In cases where a regressive law has already been passed, you can still voice dissatisfaction, as Wyoming resident Britt Boril did by intentionally misgendering the chairman of a local meeting. When he protested, she countered that, per a recent bill, no one could force her to respect another person’s “preferred pronouns.” The chairperson’s befuddled response is a perfect example of the way cis people can take respect for granted.
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In a follow-up Instagram post, Boril explained that she was demonstrating hypocrisy, not trying to start a trend of rudeness: “Misgendering people is not cool.… We’re all about mindful malicious compliance here,” she said, per Yahoo.
Then there’s the straightforward approach. At a town hall in Roswell, Georgia, a woman with a strong Southern twang put her voice to good use, stating confidently, “Tyranny is rising in the White House, and a man has declared himself our king. So I would like to know—rather, the people would like to know—what you, Congressman, and your fellow congressmen, are going to do to rein in the megalomaniac in the White House.” (It’s the first video here, and really worth hearing.)
Overall, it seems there’s been an uptick in face-to-face criticism between voters and officials, everywhere from Wisconsin to Missouri to Oregon to Connecticut. According to NBC News, with Congress in recess, a number of Republicans have returned to their home districts for public events.… And they aren’t going well, even aside from the protests. But whether this is a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come is, like so much in this country, up for debate. The New York Times reports that there are multiple viewpoints on display during these meetings, which might herald a wave of backlash against the Trump regime…or not.
Does it matter? Is it working? Will all this talk amount to anything? These questions are important, but there’s a broader reason: Our civil rights disappear when we stop exercising them. I’m sure Trump would love if we thought yelling at meetings didn’t make a difference, if we all packed up our bags and called it a day on democracy without him having to lift a dictatorial finger. There are plenty of people who would be thrilled if women, especially, decided to be quiet on our own.
From kindergarten through eighth grade, I went to an all-girls school in which public speaking was a mandatory class and presenting in front of others was part of our grade. The school was founded at a time when women weren’t supposed to speak out or even allowed to vote; because things had changed, using these (relatively) new freedoms wasn’t a privilege but a duty. Turns out, this wasn’t lofty theoretical rhetoric. The challenge is here and now, and it’s never been more important to be a woman who won’t shut up.
