In this op-ed, Solange Azor explains how the Lady Parts Justice League is taking down anti-abortion sentiment through a comedy tour.

Our minivan was heard before it was seen. At 7:30 a.m. a group of brightly dressed feminists rolled up to the Sterling Heights location of Northland Family Planning Clinic, an independent abortion clinic in Michigan. Our packed minivan blared Beyoncé to overpower the chants from the stunned anti-abortion protestors and energize the enthusiastic clinic staff. The next eight hours were spent painting fences, counter-protesting the antis, and getting to know the team of abortion providers and escorts. The sun was unforgiving and the protestors unrelentingly dogmatic, but we performed at max energy and passion. We are Lady Parts Justice League.

For the uninitiated, Lady Parts Justice League is a grassroots, comedy driven, pro-abortion organization founded by comedian and activist Lizz Winstead in 2015. They are a group of comedians and performers who use their art to raise awareness about the erosion of reproductive rights. Consequently, their style of comedy varies from staging counter protests at fake abortion clinics to posting online memes about harmful legislation in the United States.

As their first intern in 2017, I was slightly hesitant to fully accept the Lady Parts Justice League’s mantra that comedy could be an effective, or even useful, tool in abortion politics. Even as a comedian, I was unsure that bridging the two — especially for a seemingly emotional topic like abortion — was a recipe for success.

Last summer marked the group’s first Vagical Mystery Tour, in which they spent two months traveling to 16 different U.S. cities that have limited abortion access. Back by popular demand, this summer they are in the midst of their second full tour. Beyond their hilarious feminist comedy shows, an important feature of Lady Parts Justice League’s work on the road is their engagement with independent clinics. On each stop of the tour, they reserve a few days to — in their words — make sh/*t happen. They offer services as volunteers and allies for whatever a clinic needs in a given moment. Sometimes this takes the form of performing manual labor for the clinic, recruiting and organizing volunteers, escorting or staging counter protests, or just listening and learning from the people on the front lines of abortion politics. Since clinics can be the site of violence, the Lady Parts Justice League also aims to bring joy in the form of barbecues, giant parking lot hot tub parties, and more.

The Lady Parts Justice League uses the Vagical Mystery tour to encourage allies and activists around the country to be more intentional about abortion activism. They are able to use laughter to bring people in, and then take that opportunity to remind them that every person has the capacity to be an advocate. LPJL and the team of comedians that travel with them use comedy as a way to bring light to bleak times, but also to amplify voices and concerns that have been left out.

For example: at counter protests, like the one we staged at the Northland Family Planning Clinic, LPJL shows just how brilliant of a pairing comedy and grassroots abortion activism can be. The Lady Parts Justice League escalates clinic escorting by further drawing attention to themselves with big posters that distract from protesters’ anti-abortion posters. They directly engage with the protesters: asking them questions to expose logical fallacies, gleefully shouting back at their violent language, invoking their improvisation skills and natural wit to make jokes out of the situation.