Student who tore down anti-abortion signs at Texas State says he ‘has no regrets’

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Student who tore down anti-abortion signs at Texas State says he ‘has no regrets’

‘I didn’t really want to have a constructive dialogue’

The student who destroyed an anti-abortion event on his campus has stepped forward to say that he’d do it again.

Ian Ramos, the Texas State junior seen tearing down pro-life signs saying they were “fucking bullshit” told us in an exclusive interview that he felt like he had to stand up for women’s rights.

So what happened?

I was just walking through my campus. I got a text saying these people are over in the main area of the campus. These people come on our campus every semester. And I was just incited, emotionally. And not only my emotions but my intellect was offended. Because I’m a pretty reasonable person. I’m a pretty objective person. I do have a bigger personality than other people, I think.

I wanted to engage this man, I didn’t really want to have a constructive dialogue with him. I just wanted to tell him what I thought about his fundamentalist propaganda. That’s really traumatic for a lot of people. These pro-life activists come to campuses and stand outside Planned Parenthoods and it’s really deplorable when it comes to the emotional grounds that they’re coming from. They’re just provocateurs. They don’t want to have a constructive dialogue, they just want to peddle this imagery. They don’t realize how traumatic it is for people and it takes people to a certain place they don’t need to be subjected to.

How did the anti-abortion guy react?

He was just putting his signs up and continued with his propaganda peddling. I hope something clicked in his mind. I don’t know if he’s ever been reacted to in that way. I felt like something clicked in his brain to realize what he was doing was not right. I had to lay that down for him.

Ian Ramos

Would you do it again?

Yeah. I am unapologetic about it. I think this kind of thing — I am a tolerant person and I believe in tolerance, but I don’t have to be tolerant to bigots. It was just a reaction. In the long run we want to be having constructive dialogues to change things, but in the moment I don’t regret what I did. I think I spoke for a lot of people.

Have you had a good reaction?

Personally, yeah. People have come up to me and responded to me in solidarity. On the internet it’s like 50/50 because people think it’s a debate about abortion, but it’s not. It’s about what we do when faced with ignorance and cruelty.

Has the school said anything?

No. I have been laying low. I didn’t know what to do about it, but I put my head down and work hard, and I pay my bills. I go to school full time and work full time and don’t really engage in social media.

Ian

Has anyone on campus said anything negative?

Not personally to me, but I know it’s a really volatile and emotionally charged issue.

Is there something specific to you about abortion or why that matters to you?

Most people have known someone or have known someone who knows someone affected by abortion. At the end of the day it’s a personal choice, and I have been very close to people had to undergo the procedure, and it’s something that should be kept private.

At the start of the video it looks like you’re carrying balloons and flowers, what’s with that?

It was my girlfriend’s birthday and I had just come from the market with an orchid, and I was going up there to give that to her when I was triggered. I got it back. I was kind of worked up and I would have kept going HAM on those posters but this Philosophy professor came up to me and told me to calm down because the authorities are going to come. She took me to her office and we engaged in a discussion about how she was on my side.

What did your girlfriend make of it?

Solidarity, man. she is in solidarity with it as well. We all need to stick together in that.

@carolinephinney