As a woman born and raised in Wyoming, I feel very safe in this great state – I always have. I bet most women you talk to can say the same. Yet, recent rhetoric from a growing number of lawmakers paints a picture of danger that doesn’t match reality.
Three days into the Wyoming Legislative Session and already we’ve heard testimony and seen bill titles that claim to be designed to “keep women safe or protected.”
I’m concerned that these bills and the testimony shared from a growing number of people are less about my well-being, and more about using women’s “safety” as a tool for political manipulation – including bills like “What is a Woman Act” and “Protecting Women’s Safety in Public Spaces”.
Wyoming women are strong, resilient, and smart. If you talk to working moms, retired women, or young women in Wyoming, their safety concerns center around their true well-being.
Hardworking women in Wyoming are worried about whether there is high-quality childcare in their community and how they will pay for it.
They’re concerned about rising healthcare costs and how they’ll cover costs if someone in their family gets sick. They’re also concerned about lack of maternity care and the closing of labor and delivery units across the state.
Wyoming women want to make sure that they and their children have access to educational opportunities.
Senior women seek connections to community and are worried that the services they pay into through property taxes may go away because of continued property tax cuts.
These aren’t just women’s issues; these are community issues.
We appreciate the discussions and work being done to support education, healthcare access, economic opportunity, and community this legislative session. I ask our Wyoming Legislature to focus on the issues at hand and stop using women’s safety as an excuse to pass bills that cannot stand on merit.
Wyoming women aren’t damsels in distress. They don’t need protection, they need opportunities to achieve well-being. Let’s focus on policies that strengthen our Wyoming communities.
Questions? Email Micah@wycf.org
