Two AIDS activists were thrown out of Paul Ryan’s speech at the Values Voter Summit in Washington Friday after they stood and yelled, “corporations aren’t people.”
TPM spoke with the women after they were escorted off the property of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington where the summit is being held. They said they were told that they would be arrested if they return to the hotel grounds Friday. Both women said they paid for tickets to the gathering with the express purpose of protesting.
One woman, who gave only the name Samantha, said she traveled from Pennsylvania, where she is a member of Act Up Philadelphia, an AIDS activism group. The other, Mary Jennings, told TPM she traveled from Boston.
The pair — and a third protester — were hauled out of Ryan’s speech by security after they stood and protested during Ryan’s address.
“I care deeply about my voice and having it heard,” Jennings said when asked why she would travel so far just to shout at Ryan for a few seconds.
