Author: Aspen Ruhlin
Aspen Ruhlin is a Client Advocate in the Bangor area, where they help people overcome barriers to accessing healthcare. They have a particular focus on serving the trans community and increasing access to gender-affirming care. In their off time, they enjoy embroidery, gardening, and participating in an array of activism.
Now that the uncharacteristically long Maine legislative session has wrapped up, it feels like a great time to celebrate the wins we’ve had with bills that help fulfill our state’s motto: “The Way Life Should Be.” You’re probably already familiar with LD 1619, an important bill for abortion access in the state that received a…
Roe is gone. Now what? It is understandable to feel a lot of emotions. Rage. Grief. Frustration. Feeling our emotions is important. It is also important that we do not let ourselves be so overtaken by despair that we think there is nothing to be done. In the words of Mariame Kaba, “hope is a…
As a queer person, I’ve been asked by my fair share of cisgender and heterosexual people, “Why do you need Pride? Why isn’t there a straight Pride?” While there is always history to reference, from Pride’s roots in the Stonewall Riots in New York City to the murder of Charlie Howard in Bangor, there is…
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you may have noticed that I don’t refer to people who oppose abortion access as “pro-life,” but instead as “anti-abortion.” Along with being vague, the “pro-life” label simply doesn’t reflect their views. Denying the autonomy and wellbeing of pregnant people certainly doesn’t align with the idea of…
Across the country, conservative politicians have been fighting to ban access to gender-affirming care for members of the transgender community. While their overt actions have been focused on trans youth, the impact reaches further. Texas has gone so far as to investigate supportive parents of trans minors for child abuse, and while the federal government…
Over the last several months, conservatives across the country have been pushing to ban books that they consider inappropriate for youth to access. One school district in Texas has banned 130 books, ranging from LGBTQ+ coming of age stories and sex education to the history of the KKK and desegregation. And while Maine has not…
While I have always supported Medicare for All and accessible, affirming health care for everyone, I am particularly reminded of this conviction every January. This significance is not because of any sort of New Year’s resolution. January is thyroid awareness month and, more personally, the anniversary of my own thyroidectomy. No one expects to get…
Since Texas first put their abortion ban into law, and especially since the Supreme Court allowed it to stand, I have felt more uneasy than ever about the federal protections we are supposed to be guaranteed by the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade. I, like many others, have noticed the message that Supreme Court…
With so much currently up in the air with federal abortion rights, its an important time to examine the voting records of our state officials on issues of reproductive justice. When it comes to the topic of abortion, voters typically expect a Democrat to fight for access and a Republican to oppose that access. However,…
When the topic of abortion comes up, it isn’t uncommon to hear something along the lines of, “I’m pro choice, not pro abortion! No one would ever be pro abortion.” I am here to gleefully burst that bubble. I am pro abortion, and I’m proud to be. I am pro abortion the same way that…