- Arielle Stevenson
- I am Choice's "Voice Choice" photo campaign, in action Saturday.
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, men and women of all ages gathered in St. Petersburg to celebrate the official launch of the I Am Choice campaign. The St. Pete-based initiative is fighting to stop the passage of Amendment 6, which Creative Loafing wrote about last month. The amendment is a state constitutional amendment that would make changes to privacy rights for Floridian women and change coverage for public employees seeking end of pregnancy procedures on their private insurance plans.
Inclement weather forced the planned outdoor event inside. But only hours before the rally, campaign manager Ayele Hunt and her team were up late sending emails about the rally's new location. They sent personal Facebook messages and emails out. The pep rally ended up at Semeraro's Italian Cafe and Piano Bar at 1620 Central Ave. Despite the last minute change, the rally drew around 50 people.
Inside, there was a photo booth set up, taking pictures of attendees holding a sign reading "I Am Choice". Photos taken are being used in the "Voice Choice" internet campaign.
There was a table with blank posters and markers, attendees were encouraged to make signs for the campaign. Kayla, of St. Petersburg, made a sign reading "If you cut off my reproductive rights, can I cut off yours?"
"I feel like this is a slippery slope if this passes," she said. "If they pass this, they might try to pass something banning abortion in the future."
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2012.