I had breathed oppression from the day I was born, the youngest girl of 6 brothers who were all taught how to be oppressive, angry and aggressive by a very violent and abusive patriarch, my father and a loyal daughter of the patriarchy, his wife, my mother. There was 20 years between the eldest brother and myself, most of them adults by the time I turned 3. I learnt early to ask permission to borrow their oxygen for the short time I needed it for my tiny body before returning back to them. Screaming, punching, yelling, fighting, hitting, sexual assault were a day to day occurrence in my home of aggressive violent men. I didn’t know any better. The girls were not allowed jam on their sandwiches, that was for the boys, no meat for us girls, it was important that the boys had meat so they would be big and strong. I learnt from them that girls didn’t matter. I was gagged, not allowed an opinion, seething quietly from the injustices I felt. Ridicule and fear gagged me. From when I can remember I was demoralized, disrespected, hit, ridiculed and sexually assaulted daily. But this girl child learnt that as a women I had a voice and I could use it
MY REVOLUTION is to UNGAG all women, as I peeled off my own gag I gave a silent plea that turned into a giant ROAR, that all these gags are removed and children and women everywhere will be safe, respected and free from fear, violence and oppression.