Political leaders must prioritize protecting those rights that women need independently of men. Abortion rights, often debated fiercely, are fundam
Each time a woman stands up for herself-Maya Angelou
Political leaders must prioritize protecting those rights that women need independently of men.
Abortion rights, often debated fiercely, are fundamentally connected to relationships with men. Yes, women must have the right to make their own decisions about their bodies. However, women’s rights and safety extend far beyond reproductive choices.
When we say we want ‘freedom of choice’, we mean that across the board. In reproductive choices, medical choices, healing choices, relationship choices, competitive sports and athletic choices, financial choices, safe space choices and on and on.
We urgently need protection and support for women’s independence from men, safety from male violence, protection of female dignity, and respect. We need serious commitments to advancing female opportunities economically, educationally, and socially. Yet, too often, political leaders—particularly Democrats—ignore these critical issues, dismissing women who raise concerns and demand change.
Women are consistently told that their voices matter, yet when we speak clearly about the issues directly impacting our safety and dignity, we are met with silence, ridicule, or outright dismissal. This must change.
Hear us clearly:
- We demand safety from violence perpetrated by men.
- We demand policies that protect women’s dignity and respect, free from male validation.
- We demand greater opportunities for economic independence and educational advancement for women.
- We demand to be taken seriously when we speak about our lived experiences, fears, and the realities we face every day.
- We demand financial investments and resources into-childcare, education, training, housing, shelters, funds to help women obtain safety and independence from violence, funding for grassroots organizations that support women and girls preventing and healing from violence, funding for women’s health and safety. All of this without an asterisk requiring that we prioritize and include males. Again.
Women deserve leaders who respect and prioritize these needs—not just those that keep women dependent, leashed to men in public, chained to hovering male oversight, or pressured to be in relationship with questionable men. True leadership listens, respects, and acts upon the genuine concerns and needs of women.
We are speaking loudly and clearly. We will keep speaking even when you block us online or make yourself unavailable to us. We will keep speaking up about our rights as women.
It’s past time that our political leaders listened and acted. We deserve safety, independence, respect, and dignity—not merely as women in relation to men, but as women in our own right.
Our Safety Isn’t a Punchline: Standing Strong Against Ridicule
