Planned Parenthood Announces #IDEFY Campaign to Ensure Young Activist Future

For Immediate Release: Jan. 13, 2017

Share This

To see an exclusive from Teen Vogue on the campaign, see here. 

#IDEFY will launch via Facebook Live on January 22, the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

New York, NY — Planned Parenthood Federation of America announced today the launch of #IDEFY, the start of five-year effort to identify, train, and mobilize young people in order to bring them into the Planned Parenthood family for affordable high quality health care, comprehensive sex education, and a lifetime of activism.

#IDEFY will officially launch with a Facebook Live event on the afternoon of January 22, 2017, the day after the Women’s March and on 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade — which secured the right to safe, legal abortion in this country — one of the many basic rights young people are passionate about and are gearing up to protect in 2017 and beyond.

“Young people today have never lived in a world where abortion wasn’t safe and legal, but we have not taken that right for granted,” said Kersha Deibel, Director of Generation Z, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We know that our ability to achieve reproductive freedom is tied to our ability to live free from the threat of violence and discrimination in all forms. We don’t abide by outdated social norms, we understand that all of the pieces of our identity overlap and either make us more likely to experience privilege or to experience discrimination. We are the most inclusive generation this country has ever seen. This campaign is for us. We are calling on you to join our fight to defy hate and ignorance and create the world we want to see.”

For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has been defying norms, expectations and even the government to bring compassionate care, comprehensive education, to everyone — no matter what. We know that from defiance comes progress. We fight for a world of equity, care, education and activism — a world where sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights, where access to health care doesn’t depend on who you are or where you live, and where everyone is able to live freely from discrimination in all forms.

The #IDEFY campaign asks young people to use social media to tell the world what they defy — discrimination, intolerance, slut-shaming, abortion stigma, sub-par sex ed, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and other forces that obstruct justice and block individual opportunity.

Young people can participate by posting an image of themselves with the word “DEFY” written on their fist on social media, along with a caption stating what they defy and the hashtag #IDEFY.

To gear up momentum for the campaign ahead of the launch, videos from young people sharing what they defy posted as an exclusive on TeenVogue.com today. 

To watch our videos see here, the transcript from each video are below. 

“I am a bisexual male. Bisexuality exists. It is not your job to sift through all of my thoughts and then verify my bisexual status. It is your job to hear me say the sentence, ‘I am a bisexual man’ and for you to go ‘okay.’”

“Finally, emojis represent the fact that not all of us are the complexion of sand. Now, every time I clap it’s my hands clapping, blackest Russian emoji, I can give you the brown girl painting her fingernails emoji, yes!”

“Be ready for some feels. Abortion is a not a four-letter word or something we shouldn’t be talking about, it’s a medical procedure. People who think that abortion should be a legal are more likely to think that nobody that they know has ever had one, or ever will. You probably do.”

On January 22, for the official launch, Planned Parenthood is planning a nationwide act of defiance to lift up the voices of young people who participate in #IDEFY. In an interactive art installation that will be live-streamed on Facebook Live and hosted by celebrities and influencers, artists will cover blank walls with visual representations of the issues young people want to stand up against. Once the piece is complete, in a symbolic act of defiance, the walls will be destroyed.

This campaign is coming at a critical time, as Planned Parenthood gears up for a defunding fight that would have a huge impact on young people —  people under 30 make up 70% of Planned Parenthood's patient base. If Planned Parenthood health centers are shut down, which make no mistake, is what politicians are ultimately trying to achieve, it will leave millions of young people without the non-judgmental, inclusive, and comprehensive quality health care and education they rely on.

DefyNow.org will be an evolving platform that provides young people with opportunities to continue on their path of activism, as they continue to defy for reproductive health and rights, as well as social justice issues that they care about. It will also lift up partner organizations and allies that are working towards equality for all, that young people can get further involved with.

To join the #IDEFY movement, visit defynow.org.

###

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With over 650 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.