On January 21, 2017, over two million people crowded the streets worldwide and were united for one universal cause: women equality. They marched with signs and chants spreading the word that we will never be silenced and we will always be here to fight for gender equality. They filled roads and held up traffic, flooding the metro stations from block after block.
Thank you to every single one of you. Thank you for continuing to stand up to injustice and sexism throughout the world. In every continent of earth you all stood together to say that we should have control over our own damn bodies. We should have the right to an abortion if we want one. We should have equal pay to our male coworker counterparts. We should be looked at and treated with respect and equality. You all made your voices loud and heard.
The marches were described as peaceful, mature and supportive. Those who participated spoke out and explained they felt unity and passion, which only made this movement an even more powerful display of strength and unity. The joy these people felt were insane because they all knew that years of social progress couldn't be undone because it is and will always be alive in the hearts of all those who marched.
They marched for every single one of you who has been cat called, whistled at, told you should smile more, made to feel disgusting due to a monthly visitor. For every person that thinks you should be grabbed by the pussy there was someone marching for your right to say no. For everyone of you that has been touched when you did not want to be and experienced horrible events even when you said no. They all marched throughout our world for you and for every unfortunate circumstance you as a female has endured. They marched when you received that paycheck that was 75% that of a man. They marched for these dismal political times that have shown us that sexism has unfortunately resonated worldwide.
This march wasn't only an anti-Trump/Pence protest. Recent political events have simply stirred the pot and only made those fighting for an end to sexism to shout even louder. It has caused them to hold their signs higher and march longer and not stop until every single individual voice has been heard.
For those of you who are tired of these protests and have told us to get over it and stop stomping our feet, I will never truly understand that mentality. I do not and will not ever comprehend anyone who could be over a protest for equal rights. I pray none of you have a daughter in the near future, but if you do please make sure she knows why mom and dad don't think she should have rights to her own body. For those over feminism, please understand how uneducated you sound. Please continue to believe we live in a world where genders are looked at equally and women have nothing to worry about. Please explain to your little girl on the day god forbid she ever rejects a man and is insulted and called a slut or a bitch that she was probably asking for it.
I want that march to speak volumes just the same as this article. I want every single person on my friends list and follower on Tumblr and Twitter to understand my stance on this issue. I want every single person who marched for my rights as a woman and for the future woman to enter this world, thank you. Thank you for fighting to keep Planned Parenthood funded, thank you for fighting to end rape culture, thank you for standing up for women everywhere. We refuse to be silenced and we refused to go backwards.
