By Jos Truitt • @jostruitt • 14 years ago

Sean James and Al Joyner on the anti-choice Super Bowl ad

I’m incredibly moved by this video Planned Parenthood put together featuring former professional football player Sean James and Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner. It’s a beautiful model of male allyship: men are speaking but center the perspectives and decisions of women in their lives. They talk about what they’ve learned from women and about trusting women with their own choices. This is the message I wish Super Bowl viewers would hear.

Transcript after the jump.


Sean James: I’m Sean James. I’m a former college and professional football player.
Al Joyner: I’m Al Joyner. I won Olympic gold medal in the triple jump.
SJ: I love my family and I love sports.
AJ: And Super Bowl weekend is a perfect time to honor both: sports and family.
SJ: There’s a lot of talk leading up to the Super Bowl about an ad focused on sports and family. The ad features a great football player, Tim Tebow, and his loving mother discussing a difficult medical decision she made for her family. I respect and honor Mrs. Tebow’s decision.
AJ: I want my daughter to live in a world where everyone’s decisions are respected.
SJ: My mom showed me that women are strong and wise. She taught me that only women can make the best decisions about their health and their future.
AJ: My daughter will always be my little girl, but I’m proud every day as I watch her grow up to be her own person, a smart, confident young woman. I trust her to take care of herself.
SJ: We’re working toward the day where every woman will be valued. Where every woman’s decision about her health and her family will be respected.
AJ: We celebrate families by supporting our mothers, by supporting our daughters, by trusting women.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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