Flying Under the Radar: Apr. 23rd-May 7th

Hey Teens Resisters!
A lot has happened throughout the past two weeks, and the constant flow of news never seems to stop.  At times, it can be hard to keep track of what is going on beneath the radar or even just of smaller but still equally significant news.  This week, we've chosen three things that you may or may not have heard of before but that are essential to both know about and take action on: Chechnya queer purges, Puerto Rico's continuing recovery, and new, extraordinarily restrictive abortion laws in Iowa.
We hope you get a chance to educate yourselves, take concrete action, and stay involved in the weeks and months to come.
Peace & power,
​TR

New: TEEN RESISTER OF THE MONTH!!
This month, we were honored to feature Brandon Gonzalez as our first ever Teen Resister of the Month. He has been a longtime advocate for issues such as the Afro-Latinx diaspora, LGBTQ+ issues, race disproportionality in the school system, police brutality, and recently gun control, on our instagram.  Click below to apply to be our next TRer of the month or to nominate an inspiring friend!

Apply/nominate

What went down:

Queer Purges in Chechnya
Roughly one year ago, on April 28th, 2017, news broke of queer purges going on in Chechnya, Russia. The news detailed intense, state-initiated violence towards queer people, which involved coercion and torture. Many have been rounded up and not seen since, others were tortured and let go, and still more were handed over to their families to be killed once they had been tortured. The testimonies are harrowing- tales of forced suicide, genocidal killing tactics, and chilling capture, and are painful to listen to. Elena Milashina, the Russian journalist who broke the story, has said that for Chechen queer people, “it is not about the right to love, it is about the right to live.” In the past year, groups of American allies like Voices 4 have mobilized to end the persecution of innocent queer people in Russia. Voices 4 has a set of demands that includes a US investigation into the persecution in Chechnya, the acceptance of more asylum-seekers from the region, and more mainstream media coverage.

This is an issue many people are not aware of, which is one of the many problems with how it is addressed in America. These situations are unlivable, and America needs to step up.

    What you can do:

• Sign this petition! It takes a few seconds.

• Raise awareness! Post on social media and tell your friends this is going on.
• Get involved with Voices 4! If you live in NYC, go to their demonstrations and/or weekly meetings on Wednesdays. If you don’t, be sure to follow them on social media!! They have many opportunities to get involved, even from afar.​

Two helpful articles:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43658689
http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/news/103199/a-year-after-the-anti-gay-purge-in-chechnya-heres-what-you-can-do-to-help/

​

A Voices 4 rally in New York City commemorating the one year anniversary of the news breaking of queer purges. (Photo credit, The Advocate)

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Puerto Rico's continuing recovery
Last year, Hurricane Maria became the worst natural disaster on record in Dominicana and Puerto Rico. At its peak, it caused catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the northeastern Caribbean, destroying recovery efforts in the in the areas of the Leeward Islands previously struck by Hurricane Irma. Although Hurricane Maria struck several territories, it affected Puerto Rico tremendously. In Puerto Rico, the power grid was effectively destroyed leaving millions without electricity. It took months for the island to regain electricity and a mediocre level of resources. Today, there is still a small section that hasn’t fully recovered from Hurricane Maria and are still left without power/ electricity. The Trump administration hasn’t done much to help them, although American citizens - most of the work done to help Puerto Rico has come from non-political organizations. Here are some more ways to help and ensure that Puerto Rico and other territories are able to fully recover from the terrors of Hurricane Maria.

What you can do:
The best way to help is by donating. When donating, make sure the intents of the organization or company are clear because some don’t donate directly to the people of the affected area. There are amazing companies out there that will match all of the donations made like the Phillips Lighting Foundation. There are also organizations that were made specifically for Puerto Rico relief. You can also donate to organization that are dedicated to rebuilding houses in territories affected by Hurricane Maria.

Since there are so many places to donate, it’s really easy to make your donation personal and think about where you want your money to go!  Check out our Holiday Giving List to learn more about amazing organizations and what they do to be a more informed giver.

However, we know that, as teens, you most likely do not have the resources available to constantly give your money.  Instead, give your time! Organize fundraisers like bake sales, walk-a-thons, or raffles.  Alternatively, hold a food/clothing drive for Puerto Rico/other affected areas.  

• Additionally: Call FEMA and tell them to do better re: aid for Puerto Rico.

Number: (202) 646-2500
Script: Hi, my name is ______ and I'm from ______. I'm calling to ask that more aid be provided to the people of Puerto Rico to help them rebuild their beautiful homeland. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, yet are being ignored by federal agencies. They deserve to have their electricity and communities restored. Please do more to ensure that this can become a reality. Thank you.

A devastated Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

Abortion Laws in Iowa
On Friday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the “Heartbeat Bill” into state legislature, an extremely restrictive abortion bill that bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected (i.e. at roughly the six-weeks-pregnant mark) with exceptions in the case of rape, incest, or medical emergency. The bill was supported by almost all Republican state lawmakers in Iowa. Evidently, this ban is wildly restrictive to any pregnant individual, who should have the legislative right to make decisions about their own body. Six weeks is an incredibly short amount of time, with many pregnancies going completely undetected before that point. How do Iowa legislators expect women to be able to regularly suspect pregnancy, take a pregnancy test, and make (and go to) an appointment at an abortion clinic before six weeks is up?

So, what can you do?
Here are some quick actions you can take to make sure that individuals in Iowa and across the US will be able to protect their reproductive rights and maintain reproductive and sexual independence under the law:

• Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have already pledged to fight the bill in court. Support these organizations in any way you can, including supporting them on social media, volunteering for them in person, and donating money to their funds if you can.
• Reach out to your representatives to demand that they publicly denounce the bill and fight to make sure nothing similar happens in your state or on a federal level:
  • PHONE SCRIPT: Hi [rep]. My name is [name] and I’m calling because I think everyone should have the right to make choices about their own bodies, and I hope you do, too. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently signed a “Heartbeat Bill” that prevents abortions following six weeks pregnancy. Not only is this bill highly restrictive,  its implications are also simply infeasible given the incredibly short amount of time it allows to suspect and verify pregnancy and follow through with an appointment at an abortion clinic. I’m asking you to publicly denounce the bill in [congress/the house] and ensure that one like it is not signed in any other US state in the future. Additionally, I’m asking that you support legal measures that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood are taking to fight the bill, and advocate for a bill in federal legislature that will prevent such restrictive abortion bills on a national level. Thank you so much for your time.

Pro-choice rally

Planned Parenthood demonstrators/fighters

And, of course, we would never forget:

Puppy Video!!!