I’m not one to say that Hollywood types should stay out of politics; artists are people, like the rest of us, who should use their public platform for good. But sometimes, I really wish they’d just check with me first before they start yapping. #MeToo champion Alyssa Milano just got carried away protesting Georgia’s “Heartbeat Bill” and its really uncomfortable to watch.
Milano just called for a “Sex Strike” as a way of protesting loss of reproductive freedom.
Apparently, the actor’s concept is that women should remain celibate until the lawmakers over in Georgia come to their senses. Umm, sure.
As I’ve written before, Georgia’s “Heartbeat Bill” is dreadfully over-restrictive, poorly drafted, and sure to cause unintended fallout. That said, I’m not sure how banding together against sex itself will help.
Many supporters of #SexStrike are invoking Lysistrata, the ancient Greek comedy wherein women ended the Peloponnesian War by denying all the men sex until they stopped the fighting. Definitely funny for 411BC. Probably not the best idea for 2019, when we’ve sort of agreed that plenty of women actually like sex and that it’s a bad idea to treat sex like a male entitlement.
Also, as one Twitter user pointed out, it’s a bad idea to dilute arguments for reproductive freedom with those for abstinence.
More than a few people, too, were quick to point out that a #SexStrike is strikingly similar to some ideas we’ve heard before:
Milano, though, has made her point. #SexStrike is trending, and despite the obvious inconsistency in messaging, plenty are rallying behind the idea in the name of reproductive freedom.
[image via Amy Sussman/Getty Images]