ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE CHARITY AUCTION - AN INTERVIEW

An interview with Axolotl Dice

A charity auction is launching on July 1st to support reproductive rights in America, we spoke to one of the organisers to find out more.

The Hub stands with the people of the USA right now who have had their fundamental rights removed. Dicemaker Axolotl Dice, along with Dice.Mare and Dappercat Dice will be holding a charity auction on July 1st - July 6th to raise money for abortionfunds.org and nwlc.org and will feature a range of tabletop items - so you can grab something beautiful, with all of the proceeds going towards helping ensure access to reproductive healthcare. There will be many tabletop creators involved - and something for everyone, so make sure to check out the auction for a chance at getting something very special, for a very special cause. To find out more, we sat for a virtual chat with Axolotl Dice!

Tell us about yourself and your fellow organisers!

Hi! My name is Claire and I’m a UK-based handmade resin dice creator. I am also an Aquarius sun, which means I will not tolerate injustice, and an Aries moon which means when I feel the need to act, I act. Dice.Mare, AKA Brittany, is a US-based handmade resin dice creator. She’s a fellow water sign, a Cancer, so is very caring and protective.

So, tell us about the auction coming up.

Dice.Mare, Dapper Cat Dice, and I have teamed up to raise funds for two very important charities in the US. Originally, both Dice.Mare and I were hosting separate auctions, then we decided to combine our efforts and do one, very big auction and then Dapper Cat Dice joined in to help deal with the financials. We all felt very passionately about the injustice of this decision and the effects it will have on uterus owners in many US states.

For those outside the USA, why is it important to raise money for this cause right now?

Being from the UK myself, I felt incredibly helpless that my uteri-owning kin in America were having to endure this hardship. I felt like there was nothing I could do to help, as I’m sure many non-US natives do. But then I realised that if this can happen in America - the supposed leader of the free world - it can happen in any western country. It’s important that we all stand behind American uterus owners, not just because this is an unfair judgment that will cost the lives of hundreds of people, but because we need to show our own leaders that we will NOT stand for this kind of treatment. The United Nations categorised forced pregnancies as torture. In my opinion, restricting access to abortion is a forced pregnancy.

Where will the proceeds be donated and how can they help?

We are planning on splitting the funds between two different charities, abortionfunds.org and nwlc.org. We wanted to help raise money for a charity that helps those with uterus’ find places to have an abortion if they need one, as well as a charity that could help uterus havers with legal matters, should they find themselves in the unfortunate situation that they need it. Abortion Funds aims to ‘build power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organising at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.’ NWLC, The National Women’s Law Center, aims to ‘fight for gender justice—in the courts, in public policy, and in society — working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls.’

What kind of items can we expect to see in the auction?

We have a lot of dice - and I mean a lot of dice; dice vaults, dice bags, character commissions, a map commission, and dice jewelry. Lots and lots! There are currently 47 different lots to be auctioned off with more people asking to join every day!

Are there other ways people can show their support?

If you can’t afford to bid on these auctions Dappercat is accepting Ko-Fi donations, so you can donate as much as you are comfortable with. We also appreciate all the likes, saves, and shares we can get to try and beat Instagram's algorithm, which is already trying to limit reach!

And finally, when and where can we take part?

The auctions start over on Brittnay - Dice.Mare’s Instagram page at 3 pm PST on July 1st and will run until July 6th!

Thank you so much for speaking to us today, before we part, is there anything else you’d like to finish off with?

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the auction or helped share posts, this is an extremely important issue to both me and the wider world. I am eternally grateful for all of the support we have received so far. I’d also like to politely remind people to keep their language regarding abortions inclusive. There are many uterus havers who will be affected by this, that do not identify as female, it is important to remember to include them in these conversations. We know that the poor, minority groups, BIPOC groups, and LGBTQIA+ groups will be more heavily affected by this decision. Let us remember to support our fellow humans in this fight! Abortions are not just a women’s healthcare issue! Finally, should you plan on attending protests in the United States, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE follow safety advice and keep yourselves as safe as possible! Remember to know your legal rights before you go and attend with friends. This fight is important, but so are you as an individual, do not put yourself in harm's way.

If you want to take part in the auctions, donate, or share the word, then head to Dice.Mare’s Instagram page where the auctions will be held.

All shops and products were open accurate at the time of writing. Small businesses will change stock, or run on drop systems, so make sure to check out their page if a product/link is no longer showing.