As I sit down to write this, I still have goosebumps from the overwhelming and inspiring atmosphere that circulated London on January 21st 2017. My idea for this article was to write a summary of my weekend at the Women’s March but it’s been over a week since the event and I’ve felt a cocktail of emotions regarding various topics surrounding the stigmas on feminism and inequality.
Lets just get some things straight. First of all, feminism is not a man hating cult. Nor does equality for women mean inequality for men.
Recently I’ve come into contact with people who've tried to ridicule feminism or laugh in my face for my views on women's rights. They’ve even used the word ‘feminist’ as a derogatory term and I’ve been told that I’m too passionate about the wrong things. That’s ok though, because it just fuels my passions for the things I believe in rather than diminish them. I was asked what was the point in attending the march and I was told that it wouldn’t change anything. But we weren’t there to overthrow the results of the US election, we were there to come together in solidarity and send a message to the world that we're not alone, that we will be there and show up for your rights regardless of who you are and where you come from. So to the men and women who oppose feminism and the fight for our rights, maybe it would do you good to look at it from another perspective rather than from your prejudices.
Women and men fight for women’s rights for numerous reasons. Ask them! Ask them why they fight instead of just casting them off as a man hater. Just because you may have never experienced inequality or sexism doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, so don’t be afraid of listening to people that you may not understand because you might just learn something new and this is where growth comes from.
The women I’ve met throughout my life who’ve fought for their freedom from sexual violence and emotional and physical abuse are the same women who taught me to love every human being regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. How remarkable that the same women who have every reason to hold hate in their hearts actually hold the opposite and preach it to others too. So I’ll say it again, feminism is not a man hating cult.
So many people died fighting for our rights and freedom of speech that when there’s a powerful individual ready to take that away we must keep working collectively as a race to ensure that we move forwards and not backwards. The women’s marches that took place on January 21st have been regarded as the the largest demonstration in American history, so to those who have been belittled for attending the marches and to those who have ever been belittled for their views on women's rights, remember, love prevails every time.
