Women are badass. We manage to maintain careers, get an education, vote, hold political positions, play sports, have an opinion, and have sex with anyone we want all while men tell us we shouldn't.

“Women are their husbands’ property” they told us. Nevertheless, we persisted

“Women shouldn't vote, they are not of stable mind” they told us.

Nevertheless, we persisted.

“Women can't work for NASA” they told us.

Nevertheless, we persisted.

“Women don't belong in politics” they told us.

Nevertheless, we persisted.

“Women must have uteruses and breasts” they told us.

Nevertheless, we persisted.

We are involved in all aspects of this world. Yet every time we try to tell men that we are equal, they refuse to see the problem.

When we say that there is a gender wage gap, we are told to be thankful we can work.

When we say we are feminists, we are told to be thankful we don't live in a country with arranged marriage.

My trans sisters are forced to use the men's room because some doctor 20 years ago looked at their genitals and decided how they will live their lives.

As women, we walk down the street afraid every man we pass might be an assailant. Our hypervigilance evokes the “not all men” response. Our carelessness means we are “asking for it.”

Women don't belong in combat because they might get raped. Nevermind the men who rape them. It's the woman's fault because we are physically inferior.

Women get paid less because we might have a baby someday and companies don't want to deal with paying maternity leave. Plus men are “natural leaders” and “better workers.” Even when women do the same job better, men are more likely to be promoted.

Trans women are forced to use the men's bathroom where they may be harassed or assaulted because they were born with a penis. Because men might dress up like a woman to assault women. Nevermind the fact that this sounds like a cis man problem as there have been no reports of trans women assaulting women in public restrooms.

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said it best:

We teach girls to shrink themselves

To make themselves smaller

We say to girls

"You can have ambition

But not too much

You should aim to be successful

But not too successful

Otherwise you will threaten the man"

Because I am female

I am expected to aspire to marriage

I am expected to make my life choices

Always keeping in mind that

Marriage is the most important

Now marriage can be a source of

Joy and love and mutual support

But why do we teach to aspire to marriage

And we don't teach boys the same?

We raise girls to each other as competitors

Not for jobs or for accomplishments

Which I think can be a good thing

But for the attention of men

We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings

In the way that boys are

Feminist: the person who believes in the social

Political, and economic equality of the sexes

We as women must fight for our equality. By shrinking ourselves we are cheating ourselves. Nothing in history has been accomplished with silence.

We as women came together for one of the largest peaceful protests this country has seen when Donald Trump was elected, yet we are told we are doing nothing. We as women need to come together to fight for our equality, because it will not be handed to us.

Women are cut off in conversation. Our opinions deemed less important as our male counterparts know what they are talking about. This continues all the way up to Congress with Elizabeth Warren trying to read a letter by Corbetta Scott King to the Senate when she is cut off by Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell stated, referring to the incident, “She was warned. She was given an explanation.