Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475555
sagaftra.org | Summer 2022 | SAG-AFTRA 21 "A lifetime's not going to heal these wounds." – MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY SPEAKING AT THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE Two hundred Hollywood writers, directors and producers announced on June 13 their participation in an initiative to employ revised gun safety practices on set and review the use of firearms in storytelling more critically. The open letter, backed by the Brady gun violence organization, calls for members of the TV and film industry to do their part for gun safety and includes among its signatories Shonda Rhimes, Amy Schumer, Jimmy Kimmel, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. Actors have also gotten involved directly in messaging and storyline creations. Medium star Miguel Sandoval recorded a public service announcement for End Family Fire, a nonprofit that advocates for the proper storage of firearms in the home, and the PSA was tweeted out by Rhimes, among others. The Conners' Lecy Goranson was behind a recent gun violence awareness episode on the show titled "Triggered," which she penned after she met a high school teacher who urged her to write about violence in small towns. Goranson did so, and even stipulated in her contract that she be allowed to write the story, which aired in March. On June 25, President Biden signed bipartisan gun legislation into law that enhances background checks for 18- to 21-year-old gun buyers, restricts gun ownership for domestic violence offenders not married to their partners, and sets up grants for states to encourage red-flag laws, which allow courts to be petitioned to order the removal of a gun if an individual is deemed dangerous. THE FIGHT FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS I n May, a leaked draft memo from the U.S. Supreme Court warned that the conservative-leaning court planned to issue a reversal on the decades-long precedent of Roe v. Wade and allow states to enact their own laws regarding a woman's reproductive rights. Many hoped the public outcry and demonstrations that resulted from the disclosure would sway the court to reconsider, but on June 24, the decision to overturn Roe was handed down. Condemnation from a majority of Americans exploded across the country, setting off a series of public protests that have continued through the summer. They have not only given voice to discontent, but helped forge new alliances within communities as well as a push for, and increase in, voter registration. Corporations and organizations, many within the entertainment industry, released statements of support for women seeking reproductive health care and many offered relief from financial burdens that women seeking this health care might incur. Union performers were swift to respond, just as they had in May, when the draft opinion was publicized. Upon release of the SCOTUS decision, Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus immediately got involved in key states where reproductive health care is in jeopardy. Louis-Dreyfus has been a prominent voice on this issue and is working strategically to point funds toward voting power, an aspect that is critical to protecting rights. Actors have also continued to come forward with stories that reflect how they have personally benefited from unencumbered reproductive health care, a trend that began in recent years as abortion access continued to erode state by state. The Good Place's Jameela Jamil attended a protest following the court's decision and took heat from some fans in 2021 for unapologetically revealing she'd had an abortion due to failed contraception. A staunch supporter of reproductive rights, Ashley Judd discussed at the 2019 Women in the World conference what might have happened to her when she became pregnant after being raped. "I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion because the rapist, who is a Kentuckian … has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would've had to co-parent with my rapist." Both states have enacted trigger laws linked to the Roe reversal and abortions are now illegal in Kentucky, including Plan B medical prescriptions. As of this writing, Tennessee is mere weeks away from enforcing its ban on all abortions beginning at fertilization and making abortion a Class C felony that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. At the June 26 BET Awards, Empire star and Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson spoke out against the ruling during her opening monologue, saying, in part, "It's about time we talk about the fact that guns have more rights than a woman," and actor and singer Janelle Monáe received resounding applause from the audience when Continues on page 67 LEON BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR BET