Cosplay As Protest: Women Dressed As ‘Handmaids’ Took To The Texas Senate

In an effective use of cosplay as protest, a group of women dressed as “handmaids” took to the Texas senate in protest, and it went as well as you think.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood was a rather prescient novel written back in 1985 that’s now about to be a Hulu series. It tells the tale of a dystopian New England run by a totalitarian theocracy which overthrew the United States democratic government, stripped women of their agency and rights, and ultimately caused the collapse of society.

Sound familiar?

It sounds familiar to women in Texas, too, who — according to Vulture — donned the red robes and the white bonnets that were the standard issue uniform for women in the fictional tale to send a message of protest to the Texas senate.

Using cosplay as protest, the women were sending a message against the proposed Texas laws that would restrict access to abortion. One law proposes to ban a method of second trimester abortions; another law proposes to strip families of the ability to sue doctors for malpractice if they fail to disclose an abnormality in the womb.

Because, apparently, nothing scares men in power more than a woman with a voice, these peaceful protestors were subsequently surrounded by police in the chamber, lest they voice an opinion.

Ultimately, too, the women were tossed out of the Senate chamber. According to the Vulture report, it’s because they were carrying signs in protest of the proposed law, and carrying signs is against the rules of the chamber. Uh huh.

Next: Amal Clooney, Attorney, Made The News For Her Pregnancy

What do you think of this rather magnificent demonstration of cosplay as protest?