WEBVTT - Sen. Tiara Mack: Unashamed & Unembarrassed 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.760 Good morning, peepson. Welcome to bok F Daily with Meet 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:18.919 your Girl Danielle Moody reporting from the Bunker, Folks. I 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:22.160 want to start out with a New York Times article 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:27.600 that went up yesterday with regard to Joe Biden and 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.440 the fact that new polling has shown that his approval 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:35.320 ratings are pretty much in the gutter. Now, given all 0:00:35.360 --> 0:00:38.960 of the things that this man has inherited from the 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:43.960 trash compactor that was the Trump presidency, it's not a surprise. 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.239 But I will say this, I don't disagree with the 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:51.519 fucking polls this time. Like, the reality is people in 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:56.000 this country are suffering, right. They're suffering because they are 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:58.280 losing rights left in right, and they don't know what 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:01.040 to do about it. That they're dollar is no longer 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.960 stretching as far as it used to. That while we're 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:08.040 seeing gas prices received, inflation is still at an all 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:12.440 time high. And you know, the fact is Republicans are 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:16.800 a terror group, a terrorist organization that is receiving very 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:19.840 little pushback at the state and local and federal level 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:23.959 for the actions that they are taking to oppress people, 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:28.680 particularly LGBTQ people, particularly women and people with UTERUSS particularly 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:33.040 black people, and this Democratic Party Joe, which Joe Biden 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:37.440 is the leader of, is doing fairly little to show 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:41.840 that they have the ovaries to get this shit done. 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:46.280 So here's where I am. You know, I talked about 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:50.040 this last week that I received a lot of pushback 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.640 and a lot of fucking just nastiness on social media. 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.840 So I appreciate those of you who had reached out 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:00.720 and DMed and you know, left comments to uplift me, 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.320 because I will say that my spirits were indeed quite 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:06.600 low last week, that you know, and it wasn't low 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:12.720 because necessarily I take what trolls say, and I'm not 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:14.680 saying that it was all trolls, because there were people 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.160 who were actual, real people who were like, I'm on 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:20.440 following you because you know, you're not a cheerleader for 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.160 the Democratic Party. And what I will say is read 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:25.880 my fucking bio. I never said I was. I am 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:28.640 not a spokesperson for the Biden administration. I am not 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.280 a spokesperson for the DNC. But I'm not going to 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:33.480 sit around and say that Joe Biden is doing a 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:35.679 bang up job when in fact I don't think so. 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:39.240 And if you can't take what your party is saying 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.120 to you about how you need to change course. Then 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.640 how are you going to go up against Republicans that 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:46.560 don't give a fuck about truth, don't give a fuck 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.440 about science, and frankly, don't give a fuck about safety 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:53.240 or the constitution. So if you can't take the pressure 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.440 that is coming at you from within your own party, 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:58.160 how are you going to take on the white supremacist 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:01.640 terrorist cult that is now the Republican Party. The reality 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:06.200 here is, you know, there was pushback last week because 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:09.720 a White House spokesperson who has since went to go 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:12.680 spend more time with her family and I'm using air quotes, 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:18.480 basically said that Biden is not going to acquiesce on 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:23.200 abortion rights to appease a group of activists that are 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.079 quote unquote out of step with the Democratic Party. So 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:31.080 the Biden administration thinks that their best bet to get 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:34.920 people activated to vote in mid terms is to discredit 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:39.880 and admonish the activists that are actually getting supplies and 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.920 help on the ground to women and people with uteruses 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:45.080 that need abortion. Right now, did I get that right? 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:47.800 Because if that is your motherfucking tactic, then I might 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:49.480 as well hand you the gun so you can shoot 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:54.120 yourself in the foot right literally. The reality here is 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:57.600 that these numbers should worry this administration, and they should 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:01.040 worry all of us because people are losing hope. And 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:03.120 where do you get hope from. You get hope from 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:07.280 messaging coupled with action, neither of which this Democratic Party 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:13.040 is doing right now. Case in point, Lawrence Tribe, famed lawyer, 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.400 tweeted and said that Joe Biden does not need to 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.240 ask his staff whether or not he can call a 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:25.200 public health emergency for abortion right now, which by the way, 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:29.400 would open up more funds through HHS for them to 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:33.640 take considerable measures to protect the right to abortion in 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.479 this country. And this is Lawrence fucking Tribe that is 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:42.240 saying this. Forbes magazine wrote this, and I want to 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:46.280 read it verbatim. President Joe Biden said Sunday he has 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:48.560 asked his staff to see if he has quote the 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:53.000 authority to declare a public health emergency to address abortion access, 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.279 a move that could release additional funding and give federal 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.960 health officials more power to respond to state level abortion 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:04.039 and restrictions. Following calls from progressive Democrats to take sweeping 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.800 action to protect abortion rights after the Supreme Court's overturning 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.440 of Roe v. Wade. Folks, it's been over two weeks. 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:12.760 By the time that we get to the end of 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:17.720 this week, it'll be three weeks since Rovie Wade was overturned. 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:22.679 But it has been several fucking weeks, several months in fact, 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:25.480 since we knew that this was coming on the horizon. 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:29.440 So the question that infuriates me, and that many voters 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.720 are asking themselves, is why was there no fucking plan 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.560 when these scooby Doo fucking evil villains are organizing and 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.839 play goddamn sight and they are literally announcing what their 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:43.280 fucking plans are. Why has there been no action that 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:46.840 was taken. Why are we all standing around looking up 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:50.280 at the sky saying I can't believe that this has happened. Now, 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:53.560 I get that for the average American that is fucking shook, 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.960 but not by this administration that should not have been 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.440 caught off guard. But of course you would be caught 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:03.320 off guard because you still have this fucking president believing 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:06.240 that he can work with Republicans that literally wanted to 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:11.440 kill their own form of vice president last year. I 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:15.080 want to read some key facts that Biden can take 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:17.920 and these key facts that were put out this week 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:20.960 with regard to what a public health emergency would do 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.800 and with regard to the executive order that Joe Biden 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.279 has put in place. So one, a public health emergency 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:32.039 is typically declared by the federal government following a natural 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.919 disaster or infectious disease outbreak, and it gives the Department 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.599 of Health and Human Services additional funding and flexibility to 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:44.440 respond to an emergency. Number two, Biden's executive order directs 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.599 HHS to protect emergency medical care for pregnant people, but 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:54.279 declaring an emergency could also give HHS Secretary Xavier Biserra 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:59.120 the power to ensure healthcare providers can prescribe and dispense 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:03.920 abortion medication out of state to patients whom home states 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:08.640 have restricted abortion centers. For reproductive Rights, President Nancy Northrop 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:11.800 wrote in The Washington Post. This article goes on to 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:15.880 say this White House, AIDS and HHS officials way declaring 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.840 a public health emergency after the Supreme Court's ruling, but 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.480 they decided against it at the time due to question 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:26.640 about its effectiveness and possible legal challenges. Folks, And this 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.480 is the kind of shit that drives me crazy. Why 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:33.400 the fuck were you waiting until Rove Wade was overturned, 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.600 when in fact, the draft decision told you it was 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:40.040 going to be overturned for you to figure out whether 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.800 or not declaring a public health emergency would be the 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:47.000 help that people would need. Because here's the deal, folks. 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.600 And I've talked to our friend Danielle Campamore, the abortion 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:55.120 rights advocate and also writer at todayshow dot com, who 0:07:55.160 --> 0:08:00.440 has stated that every minute, every second that can be 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:05.800 bought right for these people who are literally running up 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:09.160 against the clocks in their state, is time that we 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:13.920 cannot waste. And so why the fuck this administration would 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:18.160 wait three weeks almost after this decision and a month 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:22.239 and plus after the leak draft was put out to 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:25.120 think about the ways in which they need to activate. 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:29.119 Is why the fuck Biden's numbers are low. So people 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:31.720 want to tell me, no, Danielle's about the economy. It's 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:33.320 about this, that and the other thing. And again I 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:35.800 will say what I said on MSNBC a couple of 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:39.679 weeks ago. There is no more pressing issue for people's 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.800 kitchen table than whether or not they have enough money 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.360 and resources to be able to feed the fucking mouths 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.880 at that table. And if you are forced to birth 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:51.160 yet another mouth that you cannot afford, you tell me 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:56.560 how that's not an economic issue. This administration, I know 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:58.960 people don't love for me to say it needs to 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:02.160 get their fucking shit together and actually should be paying 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.200 attention to the polls and be concerned that ninety four 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.040 percent of young people that are polled don't want Biden 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.360 to run in twenty twenty four. So what does that 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:15.040 mean for their turnout enthusiasm right for midterms and for 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:16.960 twenty twenty four, it means that it's going to be 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.720 fucking low. And guess what, we don't get another bide 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:23.000 at this apple. This is the last midterm election. This 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:26.040 will be the last presidential election in twenty twenty four. 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.240 If and when Republicans take power, because they are not 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.520 looking back, they are not looking for negotiations, they will 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.240 rewrite the rules, rewrite the constitution, call a constitutional convention, 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.280 and I may be broadcasting from a cotton field near you. 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:42.360 That's the fucking reality on the ground. And it would 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:45.400 be great if our administration would get on board with 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.160 the urgency that it's being expressed by the constituents and 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:52.520 the citizens across this country. Coming up next, my conversation 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:58.400 with whom They're all Right has called controversial Senator Tara 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:02.600 Mack from Rhode Island, who made headlines for twerking and 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.240 then telling people that they need to get out and vote. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:07.760 Let me tell you something, folks, she is more than 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.600 a twerk and you will hear that. Coming up next, 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:20.960 The Damage Report with John Idarola is one of the 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:24.040 most popular shows on the TYT Network that serves as 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:27.200 your daily breakdown of the genuine threats and challenges facing 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:30.319 our country and world. These days, we're confronted with an 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:34.440 overwhelming sea of shocking, confounding, and devastating news stories. The 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.400 Damage Report is your life raft, helping you navigate the 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:42.400 day's news and understand the damage caused by the corrupt establishment, politicians, corporations, 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:46.400 and everything in between. Join the Damage Reports notorious fan club, 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:49.439 the Dragon Squad, where you become part of the fantastic 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:52.800 community of progressives, create a fun dragon nickname that fits 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:56.880 your personality, collaborate and participate in fun activities like voting 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.560 for the Garbage Person of the Week, and much more. 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.120 Listen to The Damage Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:06.080 wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:10.240 be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.760 It's no secret that the news is horsepill hard to swallow. Thankfully, 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.680 there's The Bituation Room podcast hosted by comedian and commentator 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.840 Francesca Freer and Tini for a lighter take on the 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:29.520 heavy stuff. Each week, The Bituation Room brings you progressive comedians, experts, 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:31.640 and activists to break down the issues in a way 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.400 that won't just leave you crying under a weighted blanket. 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:38.160 Get the Bituation Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:46.040 streaming on YouTube and Twitch. Folks, I am very excited 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.600 to welcome to woka F Daily for the very first 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:55.120 time Rhode Island State Senator Senator Tara Mack, who has 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:58.600 made headlines right because this is what happens in the 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:03.920 age of the inter net. For doing a video to 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:08.680 get out the vote in your state, Senator Mac tworking 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:15.720 and subsequently Fox News has come out with a target 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:20.280 on you. There's been tons of pushback. You wrote a 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:26.040 piece in Newsweek, and so I want you to tell us. 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:31.800 Just let's start from the beginning. What prompted the twrking video, 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:36.640 and were you at all anticipating that there would be 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.280 you know, backlash and not just like, oh h a 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:45.959 fun like a fun funny video. So no, So to 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:48.480 explain the video, I have to go back maybe like 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:53.200 a week before that. I started my TikTok under my 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:58.240 mac District sixth account to raise awareness after the overturning 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.800 of Rovi Wade about access to abortion in the state. 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.520 Many people had no idea where to turn in my state, 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.800 and they were saying things like, we must give our 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.559 money to politicians, or we must fund this campaign, or 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.840 let's start our own abortion fund. I'm an abortion funder. 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:17.640 I've been a member of my state's abortion fund since 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.079 twenty fifteen. I'm one of the board members, and I've 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:23.560 been working on issues for abortion access. I've worked on 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:28.240 our state's twenty nineteen campaign to codify rob Wade, ensuring 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.320 that Rhode Island will always have access to abortion no 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:33.320 matter what happens federally. And I've been working currently on 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:36.760 the Equity and Abortion coverage, which addresses the fact that 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:39.280 one third of Rhode Islanders who are either state employees 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:42.080 or on Medicaid do not have access to abortion. And 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.720 so i started that I believe it's my eighth video 0:13:44.840 --> 0:13:48.280 says I am trying to go viral to talk about abortion. 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.080 I am trying to go viral. There might be some 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:53.720 thirst traps, It's going to be Rhode Island specific, and 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:57.360 I'm going to uplift body, autonomy and abortion. And so 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.960 when I took those videos, the context was this is 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:03.720 it's a silly account. It talks a little bit about 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.800 Rhode Island politics, the state of abortion access, what folks 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.080 can do instead of donating to politicians, what they can 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.680 do to ensure that their abortion fund in their local 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.840 area is funded and because the need will be there, 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.320 and also explaining some of the ways that blue states 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:23.360 are not safe when it comes to abortion access. Many 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:24.880 people are like, well, I live in Rhode Island and 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.240 we just codified roh V. Wade so we don't have 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.680 to worry about access to abortion. That is extremely untrue. 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:33.280 There are three hundred thousand Rhode Islanders at least who 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:36.040 don't have access to abortion. And so when I created 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.040 those videos, I think it's a series of three videos 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:39.760 of me and my bathing suit with a small group 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.480 of friends, and the first video says silly days off 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:45.760 the second video is another video that says silly days off, 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:48.680 and then the third one is the viral sensation of 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.280 Tiara to working. So I did not expect it to 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.200 go pretty. I didn't expect to go further than my 0:14:55.240 --> 0:15:00.840 community of Rhode Islanders, let alone become a national GOP campaign. 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:03.320 But also, this is not the first time I've gone 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.440 viral on the alt right. This is the second time 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:10.080 that the alt right has tried to silence me and 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:13.120 have tried to make me afraid of whatever power they 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:17.080 think they have over a strong, opinionated, unapologetically black queer 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.480 person that stands up for the causes that she believes in. 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:23.160 I went viral back in February, and no one was 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.720 worried about my body. They were not worried about my safety, 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:27.640 and they sure as hell weren't worried at about the 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:31.200 policies when the alt right took my comprehensive queer inclusive, 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:34.800 age appropriate pleasure based sexual Health bill that was also 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.080 paired with the Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights. When 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:40.240 they took that bill and had thousands of people, hundreds 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:43.280 of thousands of people in bots and their troll farm 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:47.000 calling me a pedophile and a groomer. For months, no one, 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:49.800 no one in Rhode Island, no one at the national level, 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.160 reached out and said, tr are you okay? They didn't 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:54.720 care about my mental health, they didn't care about my 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:59.480 black my black queer self receiving those messages from hundreds 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.040 of account to daily and no one reached out. No 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.520 one said this is a smear campaign. No one even 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.400 stood firmly in the fact that everything that they were 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:12.480 saying about my bill was completely untrue, was not rooted 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:14.800 in their opposition, was not rooted in wanting to protect 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:17.080 young people. It was not rooted in wanting to have inclusion. 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:20.520 It was about creating a divisive topic for them to 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:23.880 mobilize their base. And so then when this video goes 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:27.400 viral of my body, me having full agency and autonomy 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.600 over my body, being proud of what my body can do, 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:32.880 a headstand, of being on the beach, celebrating that I 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:36.160 have a day off on America's Birthday, as I like 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:39.360 to call it, the fact that they took my body 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:41.240 and tried to make it a meme and tried to 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:43.920 shame me and tried to degrade me. When no one 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:46.440 was concerned about tr mac before, not my mental health, 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:49.160 not my wellness, not my body. They were more concerned 0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:52.520 about the idea that a liberated black queer person felt 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.800 comfortable in her skin and felt that she could have 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:56.800 a day off and felt that she could have liberation. 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:01.520 And so the conversation spiraling out of control online has 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:04.040 only been able to help me uplift the issues that 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:07.120 I care about further, talk about bodily autonomy and call 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.040 attention to the ways in which the alt right and 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:13.800 their supporters are trying to create a narrative and strategically 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:18.680 target opinionated people on the left, including black people, including 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:21.400 peer people, including one of color in office, and create 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.600 a hostile environment. So they think so that they create 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.879 in themselves this idea or need to shrink and to 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:30.280 shrug away from the issues, or not stand as firmly 0:17:30.320 --> 0:17:32.720 in their beliefs. But did that. I say, if they 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:35.120 want to come after me, which they already have once 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:38.200 twice and they'll probably be another, I am not afraid 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:40.720 of their smear campaigns, and I'm not afraid of standing 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.920 firmly in my belief that everything I stand for is 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:47.439 about people centered communities. And so I think more people 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:49.760 on the left need to be paying attention to these 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:53.080 tactics that they're using, because we see what they're doing. 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:57.040 They're creating false campaigns, They're creating and mobilizing their base 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:01.320 around these like inflammatory lies, and we are not fighting back, 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:04.520 We are not pushing back on the reality that everything 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:08.359 they stand for is um is regressing back to this 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:10.880 idea that we can't have inclusive community. Well, let's talk 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:15.040 about that for a minute. Um, which is the pushback, 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:18.680 right the ability to as I continue to say on 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:21.679 you know, on social media, on all of my platforms, 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:24.639 to fight fire with fire, which you know you're talking 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.840 specifically at you know, as as you are running for 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:32.280 reelection uh in Rhode Island. And I'm also you know, 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:35.680 pulling back to think about the ways in which national 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:40.200 U nationally Democrats are not fighting back against these tactics. 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:46.120 And so um, you know, senator tell me, like, what 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.439 what do you perceive to be the best way to 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:53.000 fight back to you know, because I am no longer 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.240 in the camp of when they go low, uh, we 0:18:56.400 --> 0:19:00.280 go high. I love Michelle Obama and will will forever. 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.399 That was a tactic of a different time. I'm more like, 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:07.280 when they go low, we scuba dive like I am beyond, 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:10.560 and so, what are some of the ways in which 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:15.680 you believe that we need to be fighting back at 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:18.199 the national, state, and local level, And what are some 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:20.879 of the tactics that you have implored that you have 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:27.240 found successful in the fight that you're in right now. Yeah, 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:29.640 one of the ways that I found successful is when 0:19:29.640 --> 0:19:32.119 they were repeatedly calling me a pedophile and a groomer. 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:34.479 I ignored all those comments. I didn't engage, and I 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:37.840 pushed back, and I said comprehensive queer inclusive, pleasure based 0:19:37.840 --> 0:19:41.960 sexual health attation. More, I said comprehensive queer inclusive, age 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.880 appropriate pleasure based sex side even more, when they're coming 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:46.760 after me for t working upside down, I made it 0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:49.119 into a hashtag. I have more people now, I have 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:51.679 thousands of followers. I'm a Rhode Island State senitter and 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:54.720 I represent twenty thousand people, and I now have people 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:57.600 all across the country who were inspired by a young, 0:19:57.760 --> 0:20:01.760 unapologetically queer person saying the word abortion, not saying reprodictive 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:06.280 health access, not saying choice, saying abortion, and saying that 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:09.040 we should have access to abortion for every single person 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:11.720 in our communities. I'm also talking about trans flights, I'm 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:14.880 talking about intersex rights, I'm talking about body autonomy for 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:17.680 every single person in our communities. And they want me 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:19.960 to back down. They want me to feel as if 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.160 they can control my narrative. They want me to be afraid, 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:26.160 they want me to fear their troll farm. And it's 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:28.760 not working. And I'm saying it louder, and I'm saying 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:32.120 it more proudly, and I'm bringing more people into my message. 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:33.760 I have people who've reached out to me like I 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:36.120 would have never known about you. I would have never 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:38.159 known that we had a senator in my state, and 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:44.840 so wild it is, yes, and so it is. It 0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:48.399 is still something that I'm grappling with because we have 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.280 waited too long to fight back. I really resonated with 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:54.119 what you've said when you said when we got a 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:57.320 scuba dive, like they are literally pulling all of the 0:20:57.359 --> 0:21:00.280 stops and we are watching. I've in my own state house, 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:03.879 we have people who are not willing to stand firmly 0:21:03.880 --> 0:21:07.719 in the belief that our communities need action now. I 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:13.560 was championing bills including an eviction moratorium, adjustments to our 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:18.600 probation period, sexual seals of Ivery's Bill of Rights, sealing 0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:20.760 evictions for folks who have those on their records, and 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:23.040 those bills did not get heard this year. I had 0:21:23.080 --> 0:21:25.280 bills that were introduced last year and had hearings and 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:28.480 that were not heard because people were afraid that, Oh, well, 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:31.480 Tiarra mac has already caused enough of stir, She's already 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:34.640 mobilized people against her, and we're afraid. And so to that, 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:37.280 I say, what are you afraid of when you're standing 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:39.840 up for your communities? Why are you afraid to stand 0:21:39.880 --> 0:21:42.560 firmly in all of your beliefs that what they are 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:45.240 saying is not only very true, but it's not justified, 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:47.360 and it's not the narrative that we want our young 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:49.439 people to be living up to. And we should not 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:54.680 shrink in the light of their criticisms and their fabricated attacks. 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:59.280 We should not shrink when they have these platforms that 0:21:59.320 --> 0:22:04.600 are literally misinformation. We need to push back continually and consistently, 0:22:04.640 --> 0:22:07.400 and we need more people, more allies to say this 0:22:07.480 --> 0:22:10.199 is ridiculous. I've had to create my own document. No 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:11.960 one knows how to support a black queer woman in 0:22:11.960 --> 0:22:14.879 this moment, literally, no one. I have to create my 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:17.640 own resources and sample tweets for what to say when 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:21.520 someone calls Tarmac a pedophile, a groomer, something misogynistic, something 0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:25.600 that's race based. You know, we have seen this tactic, right, 0:22:25.720 --> 0:22:29.320 this return to the eighties, right is what I refer 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:32.960 to it as, because in the eighties we did not 0:22:33.200 --> 0:22:37.119 have in this nation the care and or consideration for 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:41.320 LGBTQ people. I mean, the Reagan administration allowed people to 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:44.320 die in the street from aids because they thought that 0:22:44.359 --> 0:22:46.840 it was God's will, because it was only at that 0:22:46.880 --> 0:22:50.240 time affecting the gay community. And so, you know, we 0:22:50.440 --> 0:22:55.080 understand because these tactics are patterns that have historical roots 0:22:55.119 --> 0:23:00.520 in discrimination and oppression. And yet Democrats find themselves, whether 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:03.440 at the state or local level or at the national level, 0:23:03.920 --> 0:23:07.840 seemed to be deers and headlights without the ability to 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:12.639 fight back. And we saw, you know, a significant push 0:23:12.720 --> 0:23:18.040 back by a state representative in Michigan who came out 0:23:18.119 --> 0:23:20.000 on the house floor, I don't know, on her house 0:23:20.040 --> 0:23:23.920 for if you remember that, where she came out against 0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:27.080 her Republican opponent for calling her a groomer. And she 0:23:27.200 --> 0:23:30.760