There’s a blind spot on the Left. A loud, well-meaning, but dangerous assumption that all women want the same things, live by the same codes, and a
There’s a blind spot on the Left.
A loud, well-meaning, but dangerous assumption that all women want the same things, live by the same codes, and are fighting for the same vision of liberation. That if we don’t align with their version of progress, we must be uninformed, brainwashed, hateful, or regressive.
But here’s the truth:
Self-determination does not always look like Western feminism thinks it should.
Some women—many women around the world—will not undress in front of men.
Not because they’re oppressed.
But because their culture, their faith, their soul does not allow it.
To do so would dishonor their ancestors, their Creator, their deeply held values.
Some women will not receive intimate medical or therapeutic care from men.
Not because they’re rejecting equality.
But because safety, modesty, and spiritual integrity are non-negotiables.
Some women do not want to share shelters, locker rooms, prison cells, bathrooms, or spiritual spaces with men—not because they hate anyone—
but because they have already survived male violence.
They are already fighting to reclaim what was taken.
And demanding that they surrender that safety again in the name of inclusion is not progressive.
It is familiar.
It is coercive.
And it is wrong.
Cultural fluency requires listening.
Not assuming.
Not labeling.
Not mocking.
Not dragging women for wanting autonomy on their terms.
To truly support women’s liberation, we must get out of the business of telling women what liberation is supposed to look like.
🌍 Some women’s self-determination looks like this:
Wearing hijab, niqab, or traditional head coverings with pride and joy
Keeping their bodies private—even from male doctors, even in emergencies
Insisting on all-female birthing spaces
Praying and worshipping in women-only sections
Preserving virginity or celibacy as sacred
Protecting girlhood rites of passage in communal female spaces
Seeking safety from male violence with clear, immovable boundaries
Maintaining cultural mourning practices that exclude men
Observing traditional bathing rituals where modesty is paramount
Rejecting sexual liberation narratives that center male pleasure
Choosing women-only spaces for healing, grief, and spiritual restoration
Refusing to allow men into women’s shelters, even if those men claim feminine identity
Drawing lines between women and men not out of hate—but out of healing
🧠 This is what true intersectionality requires.
Not flattening us.
Not forcing all women into a Western mold.
But holding space for contradictions.
For tension.
For truths that make people uncomfortable.
Some women will never feel safe or sacred in the presence of men.
That is self-determination.
That is cultural dignity.
That is meeting women where they are.
Liberation that erases women’s deepest convictions is not liberation.
When Women’s Values Are Tested: The Fight to Protect What’s Sacred
Naming the Chains: Understanding Misogyny, Gynophobia, Sexism, and Patriarchy
Facing Reality: Identity Does Not Erase Patterns of Male Violence
Truth Heals: Why Forcing Survivors to Lie About Identity is Harmful
When Control Becomes Abuse: Recognizing Coercive Control in Relationships
10 Ways Women Are Coerced in Daily Life—And Why It’s a Problem
