Members of the Society for Military History

In the summer and fall of 2021 the State of Texas passed a law designed to restrict access to the ballot in a way skewed against minority voters, and another law designed to upend the long-established right of women to access abortion services. Both laws are clear efforts to curb the civil rights of citizens and residents of the state of Texas. Both are undemocratic.

 

As individuals* who are members of, or who are affiliated in some way with the Society for Military History, and who are disturbed by those laws, we found ourselves torn when we realized that our annual conference would be held in the state of Texas in 2022. Many of our fellow members have already indicated that they will decline to attend in protest of those laws. The Society officially determined that breaking our contract with the convention hotel and boycotting the state would be financially ruinous, and would also disproportionately affect service workers rather than legislators.

 

Whether we choose to attend the conference or not, we hereby protest the undemocratic and unconstitutional attacks on long established civil rights and we therefore contribute here to the ACLU of Texas to support its effort to contest both of these legislative moves.

 

 

*This is an individual effort, and is not officially sponsored or approved by the SMH.