Freedom of speech is vital they cry!! Freedom of expression is an absolute they sing!!
These are vital and must never be challenged. But when you ask me to be silent because you don't like what I say how does that work? Does your right to speech trump mine or mine yours?
If the expression is an expression of hate, of motion to war, of lies and stereotyping of another group, of my group, does your right to uphold that expression stand unchallenged and without question?
If the feature about which you are shouting solidarity, the one you uphold and protect is not yours at all but that of an obscenely rich, unimaginably powerful, white man who owns half the world's media; if that feature is not a small publication pushing the boundaries and supporting the vulnerable but a best selling newspaper selling just under 2 million copies a day, called out on lies and misrepresentation; If rather than standing up to established balances of power, it seeks to confirm them, to reinforce them, along with tired and narrow stereotypes that keep them in place, then what?
Where does this right of stereotypical and narrow and voiceless expression end and my right of speech, of protest begin?
Because when I speak up and say my truth and I stand in solidarity with those who feel this is not the truth about women you say NO!!! You want a ban, you want to end free speech, free expression you say and when I point out that I have not asked for a ban, for legislation but am instead seeking to discuss, to question, to educate you try to slap me down again with accusations that what I seek is still somehow wrong.
Does this capitalist status quo of sexism have more rights that I, than we who seek redress? Are you suggesting that in asking again and again and again for what I feel is right I have outstayed my welcome, spoken too much? How much free speech is too much free speech? Perhaps my two and a half years of protest or is it page 3's 44 years of publication?
Is this about the volume of speech? Are we too loud with our growing social media following and our petition signatures and our organisational support? Perhaps you fear we might drown out this rich, powerful publication with it's 6.5 million reach? Unlikely.
So to you who told me this week that chatting to some young people in school about media sexism and it's effects on us as individuals and on society was a heinous act of promoting censorship that would make the Charlie Hebdo murderers proud I will extend this.....
Thank you for your input, I have heard you, you have exercised your right to express your view on this subject and I have listened, but I do not agree.
Your right to stand up for the perpetuation of a sexist and tired tradition does not trump my right to stand against it. Your right to try and silence me does not quash my right to seek like minds, to raise and discuss the issues that this sexism and sexual objectification causes, to keep the conversation going and growing. Your right to defend the status quo does not mean I cannot protest it and so I will continue to fight.
I will fight because ALL women deserve free speech and freedom of expression - all shapes, colours, sexualities, sizes and backgrounds.
I will fight for the representation of ALL of these women; those who fulfil the current narrow prescription of beauty and who are willing to pose naked and those who chose to express themselves differently, who achieve in areas not recognised, not heard, not seen, not celebrated as they are so readily for men. I will exercise MY freedom of speech to ask that these women are represented in media so that others can see what can be achieved and can learn what they can aspire to and what as a society we value.
I will keep speaking out because at the moment these women are censored and in all honesty I am not a fan of censorship.
