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MARIA MELCHIORRE
Staff Writer
On Oct. 21, Women’s Student Union held its annual Women, Rock and Soul event. This year’s event theme was “I Stand With Planned Parenthood.” It included an informational speech by a Planned Parenthood educator, framed by poetry and musical performances by many of Fredonia’s students.
The night opened with the musical stylings of the acoustic duo Deanna and Fran, followed by the spoken word poetry of Niko Lee. Her poem “Teach Me” dealt with the issue of body image, emphatically repeating the phrase “you are not fat.” It ended with the powerful punch of equating women taking care of their bodies to a quiet warfare. A round of hoots and whistles peppered the subsequent applause.
The three-woman band Something Happened followed Lee with a set of three covers and an original song, “Restless.” Lead singer senior Molly Klein delivered a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Jeans.” The band featured senior Megan Lewandowski on bass and senior Lexi Ziccardi on drums. They also covered Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” and “Here” by Alessia Cara, complete with dramatic pitch changes and intense cymbal crashes.
“They really embody a sense of girl power,” said Shannon Rochford, a senior international studies major. Rochford initially attended the event just to hear about Planned Parenthood, but later said, “I’m glad I came for the music too. I had never heard of some of these bands, and they’re really great.”
Between each of the night’s performers, WSU president Dean Bavisotto took the stage to raffle off various prize baskets. These prizes included a makeup basket and a collection of “gay books.”
Liam Doherty, a community educator for Planned Parenthood of Western New York, took the stage between acts.
“So, why is Planned Parenthood so important?” he asked, going on to explain the various services in the interest of non-judgemental reproductive health provided by the organization.
He discussed the features of the organization’s Family Planning Benefits program which helps individuals, couples and families afford services that would otherwise be out of their grasp. This is done through a sliding scale pay policy. Additionally, he outlined the clinics and sexual education programs offered in diverse, often impoverished communities throughout Western New York. He provided information on how students and individuals can get involved through volunteering and the organization’s ambassador program.
Upon fielding questions from the audience, he stated that some of the biggest issues Planned Parenthood addresses through sexual education on college campuses are consent, self-esteem and body image, as well as gender identity and proper pronouns.
Planned Parenthood did not, however, provide any printed materials on gender identity and proper pronoun usage. The organization’s table, which provided condoms, candy and information on testing and contraception, had no materials on gender identity.
“We’re working on those pamphlets,” said Doherty when asked about the lack of educational materials on the topic.
“Planned Parenthood isn’t the best with trans issues,” said Fredonia alumna Nicole Defilippis, “I’m surprised they chose them.”
Doherty’s speech was followed by performances from the student a capella groups Some Like It Hot and The Riveters. The show concluded with a set by the popular student band New Masons.
Women, Rock and Soul is an annual, ticketed event. The proceeds go to the Jeanette McVicker Scholarship for Women’s and Gender Studies students.
Women’s Student Union meets Mondays at 8 p.m. in Williams Center S204 ABC. Its next event, Take Back the Night, which gives individuals the opportunity to open up about their experiences with sexual assault, will be held on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in McEwen 209.