Letter From the Editor: Women's Day, Revised

Illustration by Dana Binfet

March marks the United State’s 33rd Annual Women’s History Month. This past Sunday was International Women’s Day (IWD), and people all across the globe used the day to publicly declare their advocacy and dedication to the advancement of women’s rights.

In Mexico, protestors marched against elevating rates of femicide, while Islamic women in Pakistan chanted “my body, my choice” through the streets. The Philippines, Turkey, Mexico, the United States, and many other countries showed public consideration for the day.

When I looked up coverage of these marches online, the headlines were all variations of the same story: “women’s rights activists attacked then detained;” “Women’s Day marchers hit with stones, sticks;” “women’s rights activists detained after hooligans attack IWD rally.”

These headlines left me feeling a varying degree of emotions; unfortunately, surprise was not one of them. I wish I was more shocked that many Women’s Day protests ended in violence enacted by those committed to traditional values and gender norms. I wish I was more shocked that women in less developed countries are still fighting for the basic rights that women in the United States gained a century ago.

As a journalist, I wish I was more shocked by the way in which these headlines victimized the women involved. Majority of the headlines I scrolled past on the first page of Google News framed the female protestors as victims of crimes, instigators of chaos, or as blatant criminals.

None of the headlines I saw spoke a word of the protestors’ bravery, self-sacrifice, or determination to fight for their freedom.

So, I thought I’d do the media a solid and draw some light to the powerful behind the protests with my own headlines and captions.

Women in Mexico Use Their Voices and Their Footsteps To Incite Change

An estimated 80,000 Mexican citizens flooded the streets of Mexico City on IWD, making it the largest feminist street demonstration in the country’s history. Femicide has been on the rise in the country, and many of the protestors used the historical day to insist that the country’s president take action against the issue. Many in the crowd held signs with the names of their loved ones who had fallen victim to the crimes. The protests ceased after demonstrators began throwing petrol bombs, at which point police responded with tear gas.

Women Stand Up Against the Patriarchal Traditions of their Countries

In Pakistan, hundreds of women, men, and transgender Pakistanis came together in Islamabad to protest for women’s rights. Despite prior attempts from conservative lawyers stop the protests -- and threats from opposition forces -- citizens still showed up with signs reading “my body, my choice.” The marchers were met with opposition from hardline Islamist demonstrators, including seminary women who were enraged that women felt like they had the right to make decisions for their own bodies. The protests ended in violent attacks from opposing demonstrators, but organizers said that the violence proved their point, and that the stones and mud that were thrown at them just mean that people are afraid of their power to make change.

Fears of A Life Without Rights Trump Fears of No Life At All

Despite seeing over 1,300 coronavirus cases since mid-February -- and a noteworthy spike in virus-related deaths in the past week -- French citizens nonetheless marched for their freedom. The rallies began on Saturday night, the evening before IWD, and were broken up with tear gas and violent detaining of feminist protestors. However, rather than let this deter protestors, women were impassioned even more to risk their safety and march through the streets of Paris on Sunday morning. One group went so far as to stage a topless protest in the center of the city while wearing unbuttoned hazmat suits and masks, denouncing a “patriarchal pandemic” being ignored within the city.

It’s time we stop framing protestors as victims, especially female protestors. It’s time we stop giving the attention to the cowards who lash out at those who represent change. During Women’s History Month, I urge you to recognize the superheroes among us, rather than the villains who lurk behind tear gas and hateful speech.