OUT ON THE HILL is the official blog of the Victory Congressional Interns. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Learn more about the internship at victoryinstitute.org/vci.
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This week marks four years since the decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) was released, overturning the landmark case Roe v. Wade (1973) and dismantling the legal protections for reproductive healthcare. On the anniversary of this event, I was given the opportunity to attend a ceremonial hearing hosted by Senators Murray (D-WA), Schumer (D-NY), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Alsobrooks (D-MD). Present on the witness panel was also Evelyn Kieltyka, senior vice president of Program Services at Maine Family Planning. For me, it was Evelyn who made this experience that much more special.
Last fall, I spent my semester researching how Title X is impacting rural communities in Maine–my home state–and designing policy recommendations to better support reproductive health clinics like Maine Family Planning. When Evelyn spoke, the work I had done the prior semester came to life. She mentioned statistics I was familiar with and regions of Maine I had been to in my childhood. It was through her voice on the panel where I heard my own for one of the first times here on the Hill.
Finding my voice this past month has been challenging. As an intern on the Hill you write emails, you go to briefings or hearings and then write memos, answer phone calls, and listen to voicemails. Instead of speaking for yourself, you speak with your Congressperson’s office at the forefront–and for a few weeks, I felt lost in that. As I began to talk more with health policy staffers in my Senator’s office leading up to the Dobbs event, however, I could hear my own voice again. I have been able to speak with professionals who share my passions and see their work in action as well as a potential future for myself. It has been these tangible interactions that have transformed my experience this past month.
Each moment, exciting or mundane, has taught me that to survive on the Hill as an intern, you must create opportunities and make space for yourself, especially as a queer person without much visible representation. At your fingertips are a host of events, hearings, briefings and coffee chats where you are able to hear from inspiring activists, professionals, co-workers, and experts in the fields you are most interested in. It is in these spaces where you will feel the impact of your own voice and passions, spaces that you must take the effort in engaging with and finding meaning in. As I look forward to my final month on the Hill, I am excited to continue finding my voice here and allowing it to keep growing beyond this experience.
