To mark International Women’s Day, the Gender Equity Caucus will host a podcast producer, former Kentucky representative and a community organizer for bodily autonomy in its event on Wednesday, March 8.

The event, Bodily Autonomy: Women, Resilience and Resistance in the Bluegrass State, will feature Ariel Lavery, producer of the “Middle of Everywhere” podcast; Attica Scott, a former Kentucky representative; and Charlotte Goddard, community organizer with Planned Parenthood and Alliance Advocates Kentucky.

The event focus came from recent limitations on reproductive rights, said Assistant Professor in English and President of the Gender Equity Caucus Sara Cooper .

“Women have been traditionally limited in this way for many years, so that’s why we decided to focus that way,” Cooper said. “We wanted to keep it like what are the different ways that women’s bodies are kind of restrained, how can folks doing this work kind of help us move toward more freedom and more choice around what we do with our bodies and how we kind of care for our bodies and see for our bodies?”

Panelists will bring a specific level of expertise on certain issues affecting people. 

Season 3 of “Middle of Everywhere” focuses on health care access in rural communities, according to their website Lavery shares stories from everyday people and their experiences accessing health care. 

Cooper said the caucus wanted to highlight the activist work happening on a local and state level by bringing in Goddard and Scott. 

“[Goddard’s] the organizer in our region who was out, especially with amendment [2],  knocking on doors, getting folks together, making sure the word was out, giving presentations and doing that work, so we wanted that perspective of someone who was in our community doing this kind of work,” Cooper said. “Scott’s been really involved in reproductive rights, she …is really engaged with issues and with [the] community … beyond just doing that work at the level of legislation.” 

Each panelist will have 10 minutes to speak, a guided questions session—led by moderator Michelle Panchuk, assistant professor in philosophy — and a Q&A with the audience. 

Cooper said the group wanted panelists to share stories to promote awareness on the issues women currently face. 

“Panels like this one can increase understanding, give folks an opportunity to ask questions about things that they don’t understand and allow the folks who do this work to really kind of bring it to light and say, ‘this is what we’re facing,’” Cooper said.

Cooper hopes this event will provide a better awareness about reproductive rights and issues impacting women. 

“The biggest thing is hoping that folks come away with a sense of community, feeling like they’re a part of a larger conversation, hearing these amazing women speak and hopefully feeling hopeful about how they might kind of move forward and support the work that folks are doing on these issues,” Cooper said. 

This panel discussion will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in 623 Price Doyle Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public. 

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