Hal’s Backyard Hustle directed by Annie Spiegelman

An email with a video titled “Hal’s Backyard Hustle” and a short introduction came into our inbox recently. The video is meant as comedy but with the serious intent of inspiring younger adults to vote. It made us (the behind-the-scenes FAR co-weavers) chuckle a couple of times. We’re delighted that people are creatively finding ways to encourage voting and, with that, protect our rights.

As the imitable Carol P. Christ started writing and teaching us so many years ago, the underlying purpose of patriarchy is to control women’s bodies and fertility.

We are seeing this taken to the extremes in our own country here in the U.S. Women who can’t access the most basic standards of care are left traumatized and some are dying. Police forces have been pressed into the duty of policing women’s bodies. Legislatures are writing laws for maximum cruelty. Exceptions (for rape, incest, blah, blah, blah) are nothing more than gaslighting projects to make the law makers seem more compassionate because in practice they are meaningless. Just how close to death does a women need to be before she can be treated? Does the rapist have to be convicted before a pregnant rape-survivor can access care? Because, really, according to patriarchy, you can’t trust women. Nor doctors.

Many in our community are rattled by this election. And with good reason – our most basic human rights are at risk and it appears that too many Americans are fine with that.

In the midst of all this, Annie Spiegelman and her Bay Area film crew are doing something about it by responding with creativity and some much needed humor. They created this very funny YouTube video to encourage more action. We are delighted to help spread this word. Please enjoy the video and share as far and wide as you are able.

Below are Annie’s words from her email to FAR, followed by the video:

Motivated by our collective Roe-Rage, an all-female, Bay Area film crew joined forces and decided our best “trauma therapy” would be to write and film something funny. So, we made a comedy — about male contraception! 

Our 3-minute video is aimed at motivating young male voters to register and vote pro-choice. 

The final graphics take viewers to www.VOTE.org and www.headcount.org (with QR codes) where they can check their registration or register to vote. 

BRING US THE YOUNG DUDES!  We are asking for help in sharing our short video to young voters on social media.  

Hal’s Backyard Hustle on YouTube

We found this worth sharing and hope it may serve to inspire each of us to do our part and help move this election in the direction of women’s reproductive rights and freedom.