FAQ

Day of Action Event Planning

Have questions about event planning on your campus? Check here first! Get answers to more questions and access to more resources by signing up to participate in the Day of Action!

What is the point of this Day of Action?

These are the concrete goals of this event:

  • We will make public demands for legislation and programs that protect our rights to abortion, gender-affirming care, contraception, and comprehensive sex education. These demands will be stated in an open letter signed by GSAN-affiliated student governing bodies and student advocacy groups.

  • We will invite students to sign petitions making demands of their universities, such as specific trans-inclusive policies, Plan B vending machines, and improved support for student parents (parental leave, childcare subsidies, etc).

  • We will demonstrate students’ abilities to organize and fight for our rights. More schools participating translates to greater collective strength and a louder collective voice.

  • We will educate and learn from students about laws regulating abortion and trans rights in their state, as well as how to safely access abortion and practice good digital hygiene.

  • We will help register students to vote. We will share information on relevant issues on November ballots and empower students to advocate for themselves through democratic participation, especially at the local and state level.

  • We will raise student consciousness about why access to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care is essential for diversity and equity in higher education and the workplace.

Will it really matter if my school participates?

Yes! Democrats have control of congress and the presidency, and they still aren’t willing to protect our fundamental rights by suspending the filibuster to pass legislation mandating legal abortion or limiting the power of the Supreme Court. When our democratically elected leaders aren’t doing their jobs, we have to take matters into our own hands. The more schools and students that participate, the greater force our demands will have, and the louder our collective voice will be.

This event is also an opportunity to help your individual student body in concrete ways, by making demands of your school administrators to better support students and by educating students on how to safely access essential reproductive healthcare services like abortion.

The idea of planning a Day of Action event on short notice is overwhelming! Where do I even start?

Don’t panic! Planning a campus-wide event for October 6th may seem like a big task. However, many hands make light work. Start by reaching out to campus advocacy groups/clubs (LGTBQIA+, Women in STEM, Reproductive Justice clubs, YDSA chapters, etc.). Let them know you’d like your school to participate in the Day of Action and invite them to organize with you. You can also post flyers around campus asking people to sign up to help via a QR code link. As people join the effort, assign them tasks according to their skills and connections.

The most time-sensitive tasks are to 1) register the event with your school and 2) reserve a public space on campus. Therefore, we recommend that you register your event and reserve a public space as soon as possible, even if you’re still not sure whether you’ll have an event or what kind of event you’ll have.

Additionally, the GSAN leadership team is creating resources to reduce the burden on organizing committees at individual schools. We are developing example student petitions, to-do checklists, organizer recruitment emails, press releases, speaker invitation emails, funding proposals, and flyers to announce the Day of Action on your campus. When you join, you will find these in our shared resources folder.

If the idea of planning a rally or resource fair is still too overwhelming to consider, you have the option of choosing an alternative event type that requires less work (there is an event bank in the shared resources folder). Any participation in the Day of Action is better than none!

It’s too late for me to reserve a space on campus for this event / my school denied my event application. Where should we hold it?

Hold it off campus! For example, reserve a public park within walking distance or accessible by public transport.

None of the student groups interested in organizing have money to fund a rally. How can we afford PA system rental / table rentals / speaker honoraria?

  • Can your grad workers union provide funds?

  • Is your school or your grad government accepting applications for club funding? Apply asap.

  • Does your school have a law school with an If/When/How chapter who will co-sponsor your Day of Action event?

  • Does your city have a local DSA chapter (Democratic Socialists of America)? Contact their steering committee and ask if they’ll accept a funding application.

Student Participation on Oct 6

Have questions about what you can do as an individual student to participate in the Day of Action? Check here!

How can I participate in the Oct 6 Day of Student Action for Reproductive Justice?

  1. Join the nationwide strike by not attending your classes on October 6th and instead using your time to fight for transgender rights, abortion, and other reproductive rights.

  2. Look out for flyers, emails, and other info about your school’s Day of Action rally, resource fair, or other event and attend on the day of.

  3. Boost the Day of Action on social media by reposting and sharing GSAN and YDSA tweets and Instagram posts about the Oct 6 event. Also, please share your reasons for participating in the Oct 6 Day of Student Action using the hashtag #BansOffOurBodies in tandem with #StudentStrikeOct6 or #StudentActionOct6. For more info, check out our social media guide.

  4. Contact us if you would like to help organize the Day of Action event on your campus!

How can I find out if there will be a Day of Action event at my school and how to attend it?

You find your campus event and RSVP on this page, if organizers at your school asked to include their event in the list. If your school’s event is not listed on our webpage, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening! You can also contact us via this form to learn whether your school is having a Day of Action event.

No one is organizing a Day of Action event at my school. What should I do on Oct 6?

You have two options:

  1. YOU can organize an event at your school. (No really, you can! See FAQ for event organizers.)

  2. We invite every student across the country to join us in solidarity by not attending your classes on October 6th and instead focusing on reproductive justice advocacy. You can stay home and educate yourself about how to access abortion, how to fight for abortion and trans rights, and why access to abortion and freedom of gender expression are essential for diversity and equity. You can spend your time writing postcards to voters in swing states or contacting your local and state representatives to tell them why abortion access and transgender rights are important to you. Additionally, consider looking for volunteer opportunities to support local abortion clinics or reproductive healthcare centers.

Can my student org sign GSAN’s open letter to Congress and/or President Biden?

Absolutely! First, ask your group to vote on whether they approve adding their group as a signatory to one or both letters. If your group agrees, you can become a signatory by filling out this form. Individuals are also welcome to sign.

I’m a medical student with clinical duties or there is some other reason that I absolutely cannot skip my classes for the Oct 6 student strike. How can I show solidarity?

Wear green, the color of the global abortion rights movement!


If you have Zoom classes/meetings on the 6th, you can signal your support by using one of the Zoom backgrounds in our social media kit.

Can international students participate in the Day of Action?

Access to abortion and gender-affirming care affects international students too! International students can legally attend student-lead events advocating for causes like abortion and transgender rights, even in states with strict abortion bans. However, international students should understand they face risks if they neglect essential research or teaching duties to participate in these events. Students who don’t feel safe participating can show solidarity by wearing green. However, international students who wish to participate are encouraged to do so, and all participating students should defend each other in the event of any retaliation from professors.