Beyoncé Rallies With Harris For Reproductive Freedom In Texas | EUROtoday

HOUSTON — Beyoncé took the stage in her Texas hometown Friday night time with Vice President Kamala Harris, rallying towards what each described as an existential risk to ladies’s rights in America.

“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician,” the singer stated on the occasion, which drew 30,000 attendees, in keeping with Harris’ presidential marketing campaign.

“I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”

Abortion rights have been the subject of the night time at Harris’ rally, which packed a stadium following studies that Beyoncé may carry out. The celebrity didn’t sing, however she and Harris stood united on the problem of reproductive rights.

Jordan Fick, a 22-year-old graduate pupil initially from Louisiana, instructed HuffPost that her important concern on this election cycle is abortion rights. She stated she remains to be “growing up” and is aware of contraception isn’t 100% efficient. If she have been to get pregnant, all choices could be scary for her. Abortion would imply touring out of the state, whereas retaining the being pregnant would imply “risking” her life to present delivery in Texas.

Fick attended Friday night time’s rally together with her pal Rachel Dubuque, a 24-year-old graduate pupil. The two met via their boyfriends, who weren’t in attendance however are supportive of Fick and Dubuque’s political pursuits.

“We like to brag that we don’t have to cancel out our boyfriends’ votes,” Fick stated.

Harris’ cease in Houston, simply days out from the presidential election, was a singular transfer, contemplating that candidates typically spend their previous few days on the marketing campaign path in swing states. Though Texas sometimes votes Republican for numerous places of work, Houston has made headlines for selecting Democrats. And when Harris walked onstage Friday in a darkish purple go well with, it may have been a nod to some individuals’s perception that Texas shouldn’t be, the truth is, Republican-leaning pink however swing-voting purple.

One one who thought so was Anushka Bhowal, a 28-year-old Harris supporter who traveled from Dallas for the Houston rally.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Bhowal stated concerning the election. “I think the general sentiment is that Texas is not a red state. It’s purple, and I really have just been trying to urge people to go out and vote.”

She is hopeful {that a} majority of Texans will vote for Harris — but when not for Harris, then a minimum of for Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who’s looking for to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

“I do think there’s a chance,” Bhowal stated.

“It helps that he’s up against Ted Cruz,” added Bhowal’s pal, Sergio, who declined to present his final title.

Bhowal stated being a Democrat can really feel isolating in Texas, however that tens of hundreds of Harris supporters exhibiting up in Houston gave her hope. Bhowal can also be optimistic that Harris will have the ability to restore abortion rights or a minimum of defend those that exist. Pregnant individuals’s mortality charge in Texas has elevated lately, one thing that issues Bhowal.

Being a girl in Texas is “terrifying,” she stated. And although Bhowal isn’t planning on having a child anytime quickly, she has thought of what that might appear to be. She stated she wouldn’t really feel snug having a child in Texas with its near-total abortion ban, and touring exterior of the state to present delivery would imply she wouldn’t have her help system close by.

“I can’t fathom having a pregnancy and have anything go wrong, and not have a choice to do anything about it and I could have my life at risk,” she stated.

Erin Riddle attended Harris’ rally with Isabella, her 14-year-old daughter. Riddle stated elevating a younger lady amid Texas’ abortion ban is “scary.” Riddle additionally famous {that a} distant acquaintance’s 14-year-old daughter had grow to be pregnant, forcing Riddle to contemplate what she would do if her household skilled the same state of affairs.

“It’s not an option,” Riddle stated. “But in Texas, what do you do?”

For some individuals, the potential of one other U.S. administration led by Republican Donald Trump looms over them. It’s such a risk, they are saying, that they’ve begun interested by shifting in a foreign country.

Riddle’s sister lives in Toronto, so shifting to Canada is on her thoughts, Riddle stated.

“If Trump got elected, we would probably move,” she stated.

Moving can also be on Steven Gilbert’s thoughts. The 63-year-old stated ladies’s rights and democracy are important points for him on this election. But if Trump wins the White House, Gilbert stated he would transfer someplace on the “other side of the Atlantic.”

Some rallygoers waited in line for upward of three hours at Shell Energy Stadium, hoping to get a glimpse of the individual they hope would be the subsequent president of the United States. It additionally didn’t damage that they may see celebrities like Jessica Alba, Kelly Rowland, Willie Nelson and naturally, Beyoncé.