Props to the pill! Touchtone of sexual autonomy turns 50

Our bodies, our choice — a mantra that reverberated through both the women’s movement and gay lib for decades. Next month, one of the most visible exes of sexual liberation — the pill — turns fifty in the US. Read this reminiscence of the activist who fought for decades for access to contraception. It was approved for sale in Canada the same year.

It’s a good time to remind gays why reproductive rights are a queer issue. Happy birthday, the pill!

Marcus McCann

Marcus McCann is an employment and human rights lawyer, member of Queers Crash the Beat, and a part owner of Glad Day Bookshop. Before becoming a lawyer, he was the managing editor of Xtra in Toronto and Ottawa.

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