Tess Holliday says to 'stay mad' in the face over Roe v. Wade being overturned: 'They're going to do it next with gay marriage'
Tess Holliday wants her followers to “stay mad” following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision which legalized abortions nationwide. The ruling came more than a month after a leak memo stated the court was planning on abolishing federal protections for abortion.
Holliday, a body positivity advocate and model, took to Instagram in the hours following the decision to share her thoughts on the issue — and how it may lead to the reversal of other federal protections as well.
“To everyone that's upset about Roe vs. Wade being overturned, stay mad,” the mom of two began her video, which was taken from a car. “They're going to do it next with gay marriage next. They're going to make it illegal. Stay mad. Get in the streets, do whatever you have to do, but stay mad.”
Video: Outcry at the Supreme Court after Roe ruling
Many have also expressed concerned that the Roe ruling sets a precedent and that other personal liberties will now be on the chopping block, such as gay marriage, which was officially made legal nationwide by the court in 2015. President Donald Trump appointed three conservative judges during his time in office.
Conservative judge Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion to the Roe decision, said the court should now “reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents” which includes cases that gave gay couples the right to marry as well as for individuals to engage in same-sex intimacy.
In a message alongside her video, Holliday wrote, “In my pajamas on my way to pick up my antidepressants in a country that will ban Juuls before assault rifles. That cares more about upholding a false narrative of what America was “founded” on instead of its actual citizens. A country that disregards any life that isn’t cis, white & a christian. Feed the hungry but starve us of basic dignity and human rights, affordable healthcare, & the right to choose what we do with our own bodies. If you’re not terrified, if you haven’t been terrified, then I would take a hard look at yourself. This will affect all of us, like it or not.”
Holliday’s followers expressed their appreciation for her passion. “We need this energy now more than ever,” one wrote, while another added, “Stay mad, this is not OK. This should be a human right. This is going to cost so many lives.”
Holliday has previously spoken out about having an abortion. In May 2019, she spoke out against restrictive abortion laws in Alabama and Georgia and shared on Instagram that she had the medical procedure following the birth of her second child.
“If I was still down south, I might not have been able to get the abortion I wanted and needed,” she wrote. “My mental health couldn’t handle being pregnant again and I made the best decision for ME and ultimately my family. It wasn’t the ‘easy thing to do’, it was excruciating on many levels, but necessary. Do I regret it or question my choice? Not at all.”
She told People at the time about sharing her abortion story, “I thought, ‘I feel like it would be pretty hypocritical of me if I don’t talk about it,’ because I’m from there and I’ve gone through all of this. I share so much with my followers, I always have, but I don’t share everything and if I’m honest, it felt like no one’s business and it’s not.”
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