Don't Be An Aunt Lydia!

Ordinary is What You Get Used To

Aunt Lydia watches as one of her Handmaids goes on assignment.

In A Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, Gilead is the newly founded patriarchal, totalitarian theocratic nation that has overthrown the former United States government. It's an oppressive society where women are stripped of their rights and subjected to severe oppression, particularly within the context of a declining birthrate.

Handmaids were fertile women who were considered ‘damaged’ from pre-Gilead days. Perhaps they had an abortion or were divorced or considered to be an adultress before the sinful government had been overthrown. They were considered property and under the control of their assigned Commander. When a Handmaid was at the ‘fertile window’ of her menstrual cycle, she was forced to have sex (raped) in a pious ritualistic ceremony acted out by the Commander and his Wife. If she became pregnant, she carried the child until birth and then was forced to surrender the child to the happy couple.

Aunts were older, infertile women who served as instructors, chaperones, and enforcers of Gilead's social structure. They were high-status women, often with a background in fields like teaching or social work, who were tasked with indoctrinating and disciplining Handmaids and other women of lesser status in the social structure.

Aunt Lydia was one of the most powerful Aunts, she ran the Red Center where the Handmaids were indoctrinated and often tortured into submission. She symbolized the oppressive and insidious nature of Gilead's regime. She was the enforcer of the patriarchal order and her indoctrination was laced with scripture and dripped with piety. She assured ‘her girls’ that being a Handmaid would soon feel ordinary and this was a calling from God. “How lucky to be a such a holy vessel” she would screech. “Blessed be the fruit” was a Gilead salutation.

Did You Know:

In 2024, 53% of white women voted for a convicted felon and known rapist. As such, white women were a strong voting block for patriarchy and by extension, white Christian nationalism. Hoosier women fell in line with their national sisters; 53% of white women in Indiana voted for Donald Trump and Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith.

Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith, a pastor and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist, publicly stated that Kamala Harris had a “Jezebel spirit” and that Hillary’s need for ‘control’ was witch-like. He believes that any steps to support an environment that is fair and inclusive where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunities is ‘woke indoctrination.’ He has a lot of power and influence in Indiana’s governance.

The votes of 53% of white women across this state and this nation were votes in support of patriarchy, oligarchy and theocracy. As such, the votes of a majority of white women supported the social structures of a patriarchal, oppressive authoritarian government as outlined in Project 2025. Aunt Lydia would be pleased.

Why It Matters:

There is no way to sugar coat this. Fifty-three percent of white women voted for the MAGA ticket. (This block of white women voters is diverse and cuts across religious affiliation, education and age.)

A MAGA vote was a vote for patriarchy in its most insidious and oppressive permutation. A MAGA vote was a vote for male domination and the loss of freedoms for anyone who isn’t a white heterosexual male. A MAGA vote was, and is, a vote towards theocracy and the dismantling of the Constitution.

What You Can Do:

Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again. It’s up to white women to reverse this. Our only way out is by our vote. Let’s vote against patriarchy, oligarchy and theocracy while we still can. Ninety-three percent of our Black sisters voted for freedom.

If you were among the 46% of white women who didn’t vote for patriarchy, you have family, friends, neighbors and colleagues who did. Some of them regret their vote. Connect with them and have a conversation.

If you are a white woman who doesn’t want to be under the control of a white Christian nationalist, you probably know someone in the 33% of eligible voters in Indiana who are NOT registered. Show them how to register online now before this regime makes that impossible by pushing through the SAVE Act.

If you are a white woman who believes that you should have the freedom to decide whether and when to grow your families and the freedom to decide what happens to your body, you need to know that approximately 1.8 million registered voters stayed home across the state. Do everything you can between now and 2026 to make sure everyone you know votes and knows what’s at stake.

If you are white woman who is concerned about the impact of tariffs on everyday household products and are worried about inflation and your retirement, support local efforts to help those most negatively impacted by rising prices and loss of social services. Engage in mutual aid efforts in your community. Make sure people understand why we are facing this economic crisis.

It is our deepest hope that those of us who voted for this patriarchal, oppressive theocracy have now “seen things we can’t unsee and learned things that we can’t unlearn.”

There is nothing ordinary about what is happening to our country. May we never get used to it.

Your sisters in opposition,

The H4D team!