6 Times Feminists Refused To Be Silenced

At this point, it’s practically expected for those who don’t believe in gender equality to tell feminists to get back in their place and stop causing such a ruckus over equal rights and gender equality. And we’ve fought back every single time.

1. Women getting the right to vote, 1915

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The “Nebraska Association Opposed to Women Suffrage” put out this pamphlet explaining why the great majority of women shouldn’t be able to vote. After all, women are just delicate flowers! Our fragile female sensibilities can’t handle this political excitement! *faints*

The suffragettes came right back at them, with a pamphlet parodying how ridiculous they sounded:

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BOOM. Roasted. Their perseverance worked – American women finally received the right to vote in 1920, after 70+ years of fighting for equal say in government.

2. Women rejecting social messages after World War II

In the 1940’s, women began to enter the workforce to fill the shoes of the men who were off to war. (Rosie the Riveter, anyone?) But once the men came back, women were shooed out of the workplace, told to get back in their place, and to leave the real work to the men and head back to the kitchen. Feminists didn’t accept this sexist way of life, and flew to the workforce in droves.

3. Women advancing in the workplace in the 1970s

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Awesome feminists like Gloria Steinem took center stage in the push for women to play an equal role in the workforce, but met a ton of resistance from men. One even said, “For a woman to succeed, there must be a man in her life who believed it’s the right thing to do.” UGH.

Of course, gender equality activists waved these comments aside and focused on dismantling workplace inequality through anti-discrimination laws, breaking down stereotypes about women, and creating organizations dedicated to making sure women had the same rights both inside and out of the workplace as men did. By the end of the 1970’s, women had taken huge strides towards achieving equality – despite all those who tried to send them back to the kitchen.

4. Women shutting down anti-choice conservatives who want to take away their right to choose

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Women have constantly fought for their right for control over their bodies, and reproductive rights are no exception. Anti-choice activists have protested outside abortion clinics for decades, and they show no sign of stopping. A recent piece in Cosmopolitan showed that these right-wing extremists are mostly just concerned that women would prioritize anything over becoming a mother. One protester even said, “That's where equality comes: where the mother stayed home and raised the children in God's light, and the husband worked, and everything was great.”

The good news? Feminists and pro-choice activists have been fighting back against anti-choice misogyny in droves for decades. In 2004, hundreds of thousands of pro-choice activists rallied in the nation’s capital at the March for Women’s Lives; protesting anti-choice policies pushed by politicians.

Pro-choice groups like NARAL Pro-Choice America organize rallies and protests, hold politicians accountable, work with lawmakers to pass laws that promote equality, and work hard to end the stigma around abortion care – and they’ll never stop as long as the attacks continue.

5. Women refuse to be shamed for taking birth control and controlling their lives, futures, and careers

A huge part of controlling your life is controlling if, when and with whom you have children. Anti-choice activists have been working diligently to make sure using birth control remains stigmatized. Only a few years ago, Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke, calling her a “slut” because she testified in Congress about the importance of contraceptive coverage. He said, “She wants to be paid to have sex. What does that make her? A prostitute. A slut.”

People all across the country spoke out against Limbaugh’s comments. Blogs called out his rhetoric as hate speech, Mainstream media outlets covered the backlash to his comments, Jon Stewart called the talk radio host “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Gross,” and Rush lost tons of advertisers as companies rushed to pull their names from being associated with his behavior.

6. Feminists refuse to be told that feminism is a joke or a fad.

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Recently, TIME Magazine included the word “feminist” in their poll about words to ban in 2015. Say what?! Feminism is a movement with a long history rooted in gender equality, not a trendy fad. For years, celebrities shied away from calling themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the term. We should be celebrating the recent increase in famous people who are unafraid to speak out for gender equality and proudly wear the label “feminist,” not trying to shut them up.

And thousands of feminists responded to TIME, signing petitions, writing articles, and highlighting how this isn’t a trendy buzzword – it’s a MOVEMENT. TIME heard us and apologized for their mistake.

Feminists will continue to fight for equal pay, reproductive freedom, representation in government, and better workplace policies until gender equality is a reality – no matter how often others try to shut us down.