After 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee and 20-year-old Kaylyn Pryor were senselessly gunned down two hours apart in Chicago, native writer and media personality April Lawson decided she’d had enough. Fed up with what she describes as “apathy” among the men of Chicago and inspired by the upcoming Spike Lee film, Chi-Raq, Lawson has come up with a peculiar idea designed to make men of the city take action.
A sex strike.
“Fresh after this baby was gruesomely assassinated, these dudes were just shaking their heads and carrying on like business as usual,” Lawson says.
She noted the synchronicity of these murders and the theme of Lee’s controversial film that was made in Chicago. A modern day adaptation of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek play Lysistrata, the movie depicts how after the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence. Lawson says it became clear to her that if the men in her neighborhood face no consequences, there will be no change so she decided to figuratively grab the bull by the horns and issue an ultimatum.
Take me back to the genesis of your idea to stage a sex strike. As far as you know, had something like this ever worked in real life?
After watching the Chi-Raq Trailer, I got to thinking: why shouldn’t life imitate art? We need a real-life full on sex strike in Chicago. Maybe these ladies throughout history are on to something. After some careful study and research on the topic, I formed the Women in Action for Peace Network and drafted an online petition. Historically, sex strikes have proven to be effective. Examples include the women of the Filipino town of Dado, who brought the end of a period of violence with a week-long sex strike. In 2006, the women of Pereira, Columbia held a ten-day sex strike to get their boyfriends and husbands in gangs to stop fighting. Other successful sex strikes have been staged in the African countries of Togo in 2005 and Liberia in 2003 with beneficial results.
What’s been the reaction to your campaign thus far?
Reactions have ranged from overwhelmingly positive to borderline psychotic to ridiculous. Spike Lee said, “I’m delighted that a woman was inspired to go on a real sex strike. More power to her.” Amy Jacobson of WIND 560 AM the Answer proclaimed, “You’re my hero!” Then there’s the gun-toting libertarians that say the absurd: “This chick is irrational, a strike will never work, she needs to just go buy a gun to defend herself from the sex starved thugs who will inevitably rape her if she doesn’t comply.”
Do you feel as though we, as a community, have become indifferent and numb to the violence that goes on?
We have become insanely numb. I live in war zone. Politicians tip toe around life and death issues by using soft language to gloss over the truth. Meanwhile, the people claim Black lives matter whenever a White cop shoots one of us but remain silent when we are busy shooting our own kids. As a mother, I’m fed up with children dying at the hands of someone who looks just like them. Just because you put sugar on s–t doesn’t mean it’s sweet.
What do you say to naysayers who think you’re crazy?
I am! And if you don’t like what I’m doing then suggest something better.
But let’s go with the politically correct answer. Yoda said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Don’t let fear rule you. It keeps you stuck.
Here’s the politically incorrect answer: could you please bring an idea to the table that is actionable, timely and attainable? I’ll gladly listen. If not, shut the f–k up. I believe there are no problems in the world, just ideas we haven’t executed yet.
What’s next for the Women in Action for Peace Network?
We’ve got to create an organizational structure and define our mission. Then we have to reclaim our power to take back the community. Then we need to sit down and create a treaty for men to sign. It’s an ongoing process that’s going to take all of us.
For more information about the Women In Action for Peace Network, please visit Lawson’s full length blog with a in-depth explanation of her movement or view and sign the online petition created.
