Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/54008
The Health Czar: Sara Finger Sara Finger knows what she's seeing. It's the snowball effect, and it's coming from the state legislature, she says, where one bill after the other aims to cut women's access to health care. As exec- utive director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, a statewide network of organizations aimed at advancing comprehensive women's health care, Finger is working to create a counter effect. Under her watch, a snowball fight is brewing. Early this year, you accomplished a first for women's health in the state. We were extremely proud to go office-to-office in the State Capitol and deliver the first Wisconsin Women's Health Policy Agenda. This was the result of hundreds of individuals and organizations across the state agreeing on six areas of focus for our legislators to raise the status of women's health. Sadly, in this environment, collectively embraced policy recommendations are falling on deaf ears. How are you responding to what you call an all- out attack on women's health? We're working to show the long-term economic impact of denying women of all ages access to the comprehensive health care they need. So we are extremely excited for the opportunity to wake women up to what's happening and empower them. Democracy doesn't happen just on Election Day—the system offers an opportunity every day for us to weigh in. And we are here to help make the process more efficient, effective and enjoyable for women's health advocates in Wisconsin. Katie Belanger The Ally: Katie Belanger is proud to call herself an ally. As executive director of Fair The Risk-takers: Tammy Baldwin and Kelda Helen Roys Call it a game of political musical chairs. When U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin stepped for- ward to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl, it wasn't long before several local politicians threw their hats in the ring for her seat—including one lone woman, Kelda Helen Roys. For Baldwin and Roys the decision is a gamble; both must vacate their current elected posts after embarking on their campaigns. Baldwin, who has had a lock on the seat representing Madison in Washington since 1998, is pitting herself as the middle-class champion against a to-be-determined candidate. "[Many] are skeptical of the government's response to our current challenges," Baldwin says. Roys, who, at 32, is the youngest woman in the State Assembly, is making the pitch that her four years of in-state leadership have her ready for a new role. "We need bold leader- ship now more than ever," she says. With so much on the line for both candidates, bold is the right word indeed. " January 2012 Wisconsin, a statewide LGBT advocacy organization, the 30-year-old married Madisonian is leading the fight for LGBT rights by setting her sights on an impor- tant target: Young voters who will shape the future of our state. "While issues like marriage equality are a priority, what we have to focus on right now is building support. For us that starts with the new voter identification law, which is going to negatively impact underrepresented communi- ties—especially students. This is important for our cause be- cause if you look at the legis- lature, there is not the support to get our bills passed. So in 2012 we're launching a mas- sive voter registration effort to help students participate in the electoral process. There is real momentum out there. We feel it every day. Once you start telling the stories of people who don't have the legal protections they need to take care of each other, people realize this is not the Wisconsin way." bravamagazine.com " 43