I'm tired of having to defend my purpose every time I enter a room. Tired of having to validate the reason I fight, advocate, and protest. Tired of having to explain that no, feminists aren't misandrists (man-haters) and no, feminists aren't advocating for only female rights.

I'm a feminist, and I'm tired.

In light of the past few weeks' events, our country is more divided than ever before. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America. The Women's March on Washington was the largest, one-day protest in U.S. history. The pro- and anti-feminist talk began once again.

Welcome to America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Or are we?

I'm not here to talk politics. I'm not here to tell you your beliefs are right or wrong. I'm not going to say your opinions are invalid. I'm here to talk about feminism and what it really means.

Sure, everyone thinks that they know what the feminist movement stands for, and everyone has their own opinion on whether or not it is something that should even exist. Let me explain a few things for you.

1. Feminism is not anti-men.

Promoting feminism does not mean taking away men's rights. It does not mean isolating those of the female sex as being the only ones worthy of being fought for. Believe it or not, by eradicating these stigmas that there are "weak" emotions and tendencies will ultimately enable every sex and gender to be who they are without fear of prosecution or prejudice. Feminism is about promoting equity for all genders, sexes, and identities. If you consider yourself a feminist and only want to make female-born individuals better than everyone else, try a different movement.

2. Equity is different than equality.

Many think that equality is the end goal, but equity is the end-all goal of the feminist movement. Equality is the belief that everyone should be treated the same. Equity follows the belief that everyone should be given the necessary resources in order to be successful; some people need more than others to achieve this. So, when you look at things that way, the feminist movement is striving for equity, not equality.

3. "Not your march?" Guess again.

If you are lucky, like me, you have the right to vote, you have been encouraged to achieve your dreams, you have been told that you can do whatever you set your mind to, you are not placed underneath men in your everyday life. To assume everyone has these liberties is to be so incredibly ignorant. Many women are oppressed because of their sex, gender, or identity. Women across the globe aren't allowed to vote, go to school, choose who they marry, have rights to their own bodies and what they do with them—I could go on. Just because you don't experience it in your neighborhood doesn't mean it isn't happening.

I've been lucky in my life. The men and women in my life support and encourage me. I also have had men and women in my life tell me I need to "act like a lady," that I "throw like a girl," and that I needed to prepare myself to make 80 cents to a man's dollar. Well, guess what? If I don't "act like a lady" then what am I acting like? Screw being a lady, I'm a person; I'll act how I like, thank you very much. Yes, I throw like a girl, how could you tell? Was it the way that in softball I could outthrow runners on second base from deep in left field? And I sure as hell will not prepare myself to make only 80 percent of what a man does for the same work. That's why I'm here. That's what I'm fighting for. Don't tell me we are "all equal" already because we aren't.

I'm a feminist, and I'm tired but I'm also far from giving up on this fight.