Imagine everything you’ve carried as a woman. You have been overlooked and catcalled. You have been touched without consent. In professional spaces, you are dismissed. You are expected to work twice as hard just to be seen.
Now imagine spending half your life compensating, pushing yourself 2–3 times harder just to earn the respect others get freely.
Then picture what it feels like to finally step into a space. In this space, you don’t have to fight for that respect. A space where you feel safe, valued, and free to exist without fear or exhaustion. That feeling is powerful—like a long exhale in a world that constantly demands women stay on guard.
But for many, that safety is fleeting. Bias, stigma, and hatred shrink those moments, making them harder to find and even harder to hold onto. And for some women, those moments never come. Safety has never been a given.
This is why equity matters. This is why safe spaces matter. This is why systemic change matters.
Because safety should never be a privilege. It should always be a right.
— Tawnia Lives
