A Feminist Manifesto in 3 Parts

Recent events have demonstrated that some members of our society have gotten the impression that they can hurl me and my sisters back to the dark ages.In short: nuh-uh.I shall elaborate.1. To religious leaders:Any organization that consistently threatens women’s freedom, health or privacy will no longer be given a free pass simply because its philosophy is rooted in religion. Magical thinking is no excuse for corrupting civil society or eroding basic human rights. We fought long and hard for our equality and we’re not going back. As you are unelected and do not even represent the views of your own members in many cases, we will no longer offer you a seat at the public policy table.2. To the men who can’t stop talking about our uteruses, our sex lives, or our use or non-use of contraceptives:Having non-procreative sex is something the vast majority of people do. You are free to forego this pleasure. But you are not free to impose your largely defeated worldview on those of us who have rejected it. We are going to go right ahead and organize society--including the delivery of healthcare in a more cost-effective and inclusive manner--with the presumption that birth control is a non-controversial and, in fact, basic element of women’s health. We take the pill for a variety of reasons, some of them sex-related, others not. You are free to complain about this, but any attempt to deprive us of this medicine or shame us for using it will be crushed.3. To women:The existence of women who are different from you is not an existential threat so you really can relax. No one is trying to force you to burn your bra, abandon your children, pursue a high-powered career, breastfeed your child, not breastfeed your child, abort your fetus/embryo/baby/zygote/blastocyst or whatever you choose to call it, marry, not marry, gay marry, fornicate, procreate, or engage in an “open marriage.” So please, just go on living your life the best way you can and feel free to inform us on Facebook about how it’s going. But do stop insisting that my somewhat different existence is a violation of your freedom. I promise you, it is not.