Gender should never cause discrimination when it comes to work capabilities, lifestyle, and the right to be treated like a human being. We all deserve to live on this planet in peace and not be attacked or treated differently because of who we are.
Women are smart and powerful. There is nothing wrong with being non-binary. Transgender people are people too. And yet, some people continue to resist these truths, and our society is still deeply patriarchal and conducive to spreading the lie that if you are not a cis male, you are worth less and incapable of greatness or intelligence.
My seventh grade teacher told us a riddle: A man and his son were in a car accident, the father died, the son was brought to the hospital, but the doctor on duty said, “I cannot operate on this boy because he is my son.” How is this possible?
Some of you may have heard the riddle before. If you have not but can realize quickly that the doctor is the boy’s mother, I applaud you. My class of twenty-five students, male and female, did not. To this day, the feeling of shame and disappointment haunts me.
I am a woman and I have always believed that women are smart and capable of anything. I should have been able to answer it easily. But because of our society and the most common media portrayals, it never occurred to me that the doctor in the riddle could be a woman. I should not have to explain why that is so worrying.
Be observant. Notice inequality wherever it is. Use your voice to advocate for equality. Use your vote to fight for justice.