The Voices We Don’t Hear Are Still Speaking

In our fast-moving world, where everything from news to justice seems to depend on who has the loudest microphone, I want us to remember something sac

In our fast-moving world, where everything from news to justice seems to depend on who has the loudest microphone, I want us to remember something sacred:

The most important truths are often whispered. And the most dangerous truths are often never spoken aloud.

We live in a time where we like to believe that everyone is online. That every woman can hop on her phone, post a thought, share her truth, or enter the “discourse.”
But that is a dangerous assumption.

Because even here in the United States, millions of women and girls still don’t have reliable access to the internet. Especially:

Women in rural communities
Women in low-income households
Women who are older, disabled, or caregivers
Women in shelters, prisons, and foster care
Women living in multigenerational homes without digital privacy
Women who speak languages that aren’t prioritized by platforms

The digital divide is real.
But so is the safety divide.

Even among those who can get online, not every woman is free to speak truth.

Because here’s the truth we don’t like to say:
We may not stone women in the West.
But we still punish them for speaking out.

Especially when they tell the truth about:

The realities of being a woman.
The safety of girls.
The boundaries of the body.
The sanctity of sex-based rights.
The importance of protecting children.

For these truths, women are:

Shunned.
Fired.
Doxxed.
Threatened.
Stalked.
Silenced.
And yes—de-platformed.

That is a form of violence, too.

To be able to speak truth publicly as a woman and survive it is not universal. It is not guaranteed. It is a privilege—and even then, often a fleeting one.

So, I want us to stay grounded in this: We must never build a women’s movement that leaves behind the women we don’t hear from.

We must not mistake silence for consent.
Nor must we confuse a lack of internet connection with a lack of conviction, courage, or truth.

Some of the most powerful truths live in:

Sighs
Side eyes
Shifts in body language
Letters never sent
Prayers whispered under breath
The “I can’t say it, but you know…”

And we must learn to listen to those languages. As women, we must become fluent in whispers, gestures, and the sacred truths that have never been spoken aloud.

Because those are our languages, too.
And the women who speak them?
They are not optional.
They are not outliers.
They are us.