Why are you a feminist?

Before I even knew what feminism meant, I had knowledge of women being treated differently. Not from a book but from personal experience. And of course there are specific aspects of which you cannot compare a woman and man and expect them to be exactly the same. Both male and feminine energies bring about individual elements that if balanced work beautifully together. What I am referring to is the lack of reverence and respect that women as a whole are given. Growing up, I knew that standing in my space did not mean the same thing as a man standing in his space. At any given time I could be interrupted, talked over and my space was up for grabs. While walking from school it was normal for men to call out disgusting things to me. As I got older, I knew I had to be physically protective of that space. I was once at a party and a good guy friend of mine had to lock me in the bathroom while I waited for my ride, because all of his buddies were so drunk and unruly that he didn’t feel safe having me there. That is one of the good stories. Unfortunately I carry other stories where I was hurt and where the outcome was not so good. I know that these sentiments about womanhood are not ones that I share alone. Over the weekend all kinds of beautiful souls showed up for this year’s Women’s March.  I am a feminist not because I dislike men, but because I know that we can do better by young girls and women. I know that young boys and men would be better off knowing that their counterparts have just as much freedom and protection as they do. Any good decent human being would want that for all of us. I am a feminist because equality means that no one is truly free until we all are. With the upcoming elections I encourage you all to vote for more women in office. By shifting the power we can begin to take steps towards inclusivity and a more balanced leadership.

Let us stand in our power and use it to help each other.