But why?
Because I felt that my job and the seriousness of the situation wasn't being handled properly. That everything was literally being shoved into a dark corner to be ignored until it was right on the brink.
But despite my hard work ethic and my assertive attitude, my desire to move away from my starting department was looking less and less likely. Which would result in what I would consider a very hard blow to my relationship.
Equality is something that women have been fighting for, for along time. Since the days of women's suffrage, to the feminist movement to modern days. As technology has been advancing, the internet is awash with opinions, stories and women everywhere learning their voice. Fighting violence with words, and at times trying to stand taller than those that would demean us.
So I figure, here's a story from a personal experience in my life involving equality.
I was 22, at a bar with my oldest sister in Sedro-Woolley, WA.
Earlier that night a guy and his friends left a table and let us have it. Two hours later, drunk off their asses they started harassing us and yelling at us for taking their table. I explained the situation to them, they didn't believe it. They thought because we have tits and an ass we can't take whatever we want.
My oldest sister just wanted to leave, and when trying to pay her bill was confronted by one of the larger men. He started cursing and threatening to hit her, and she told him, "You wouldn't be the first to do it, you'd be no different then my husband."He laughed, looked her in the face and said, "Good, someone should be teaching you where you fucking stand."
She threw money on the table and ran out the door sobbing in the street, and I quickly followed behind. She told me about how she hated this town. How she just wanted to go home. But I didn't, because I had one thing to do.
I walked back into that bar, found the man that said that to my sister and shoved him into the ground. As he laid there on the ground, trying to understand what just happened I stood over him. All 5' 2" of me taking a man almost 6' to the ground. I stood over him and gave him the biggest lecture I ever gave to a man. I told him, " What gives you the right to threaten a woman, to beat a woman, or to curse one out. What makes you more of a man by hurting a woman? What gives YOU the god given right?" As I stood over him my hand bunched up into a fist ready to hit him as he threatened to do my sister I realized something.
He officially knew at that moment what it felt like to be a woman. To be on the ground, to see others towering above you, threatening you, and belittling you.
I was thrown out of that bar for the night after starting a bar fight. But in the end, it made me realize where we stood as women, not only in that town. But in many cities, states and countries around the world.
Equality for women is something of a largely renowned myth is what I've learned. Just as I've learned that there are many people out there that are willing to diminish the idea of equality.
I grew up a tomboy so all of my life I have always worn jeans and t-shirts. Even at the age of 24 I still wear the same kind of clothes that I've worn since I was a child. Why? Because I'm a different kind of feminist. I'm my own brand of it. Some people believe in sexual empowerment, some believe it's sexually demeaning. I just like to wear comfy clothes because I feel that there are more important things in my world then standing in front of a closet for 30+ minutes planning out an outfit.
Which now leads me to the groups that I'm going to talk to you about.
The group that I will talk about is, Equality Now.
Equality Now was created in 1992 and advocates for the human rights of women and girls around the world. First by raising international visibility of individual cases of abuse. As well as wielding political pressure to ensure that governments enact or enforce laws and policies that uphold the rights of women and girls.
Their areas of focus are:These areas are the main focus because upwards of 70% of women in some countries will experience violence in their lifetimes.
One billion women and girls are affected by violence worldwide. Including rape, domestic violence, acid-burning, dowry deaths, 'honor' killings, human trafficking, female genital mutilation and other practices.
Equality Now has done a number of things to help improve girls and women's rights in over 20 years since they started. Through legal advocacy, the raising of global awareness of human rights violations, by promotion activism and supporting grass root non profits aimed at focused areas.
They have lead trafficking laws and the ending of sex tourism in New York, Hawaii and some US run sex tourism companies that worked outside the US.
They called for better investigations and prosecution of crimes involving sexual violence. This includes campaigns against rape, abduction and forced marriages in Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan and other countries. As well helping institute laws against incest in Pakistan.
Taking on difficult issues, such as campaigning for the release of an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death. After advocacy it was reduced to 100 lashes, but after further campaigning, she was released from prison. Equality Now also issued an action to ban rape simulation games in Japan. The campaign led Amazon Japan and the makers of the game to withdraw it from sale. The international attention also pressured the Japanese Government to begin addressing loopholes in child pornography laws.
But that's not all. In 2000, Equality Now opened their Nairobi office with
a region-wide consultative meeting of African women's groups.
And in 2005, they opened their London office with a global meeting on women in the media.
With their mission being:
To achieve legal and systemic change that addresses violence and discrimination against women and girls worldwide.
Then it is no wonder that in about 22 years they've been able to have more than 35,000 people in their action network in over 160 countries.
You can read more about their work here.
Equality Now, also gained some headlines because of Joss Whedon's support, and the Charity Can't Stop the Serenity. A group that since 2006, has organized screenings of Serenity to raise funds and awareness to support Equality Now. Since 2006 has raised $900,000+ and raising $102,004.80 for Equality Now.There are a number of things that you can do to support Equality Now.
- You can Take Action.
- You can Support, through fundraisers, selling on Ebay or donating stock.
- You can Shop. Ensuring that what you purchase's money will be used.
- You can Join.
- Or simply Donate.
To Equality Now, I will be donating 100$
So I end on this. Equality is something that we all must strive for. Whether it's the 99%, marriage equality, adoption equality, minimum wage raises and women's equality. We strive and fight constantly over the idea of equality. And frankly in my idea of feminism, I'm tired of women getting death threats for protecting their rights. For protecting themselves from harm only to have it thrown in their face.
We all have the right to freedom, to being safe, and being free from harm. But I grew up around violence, I lived with it, I accepted it and I have pushed it down in my heart. 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their life time. 1 in 4 girls will be sexually assaulted, as will 1 in 10 boys.
Equality is something that shouldn't be a dream somewhere down the pipeline. Equality is reality, and sooner than later, misogyny will be swept away by overwhelming support. That someday, a woman will stand her ground to others and not care what they think, but only care what she knows and what she loves.
For in my life, I have been sexually assaulted, I have been threatened, beaten up, robbed, and abused by those that loved me.
I have seen my sister being struck, I have heard her being threatened, I have seen her children being beaten. Each time I stepped in, each time I hid her away when she received death threats, each time I stood between her and him. Each time I spoke up the moment his hand would raise up.
Because what happened to me, made me stronger, and more defensive to those that I love. Being raped made me fight more for women. Being beaten made me stronger for their voice, being robbed made me fight back.
In my life, any man who condones a woman being beaten, abused, threatened, intimidated, belittled and otherwise demeaned. Is no man, and belongs back in the dark ages that this mind cannot seem to escape. And I will no longer stand for it.
Continue to fight ladies, we are worth each and every campaign, every advocacy, every letter to a governor.
- <3 Amanda
