It started with a news report.
It was another case —
you know the type —
a girl’s photo getting taken and shared around.
Shocking, disgusting, poor girl, bad boy.
Forgettable, really, really forgettable.
It was meant to be a simple discussion.
Reporter shares the news, we listen, we talk about it.
But… we didn’t stop talking about it.
A volley of hands raised in class, I remember, and they kept coming, round and round for hours.
Girls talked about their experiences —
you know the type —
unwanted messages,
unwanted looks,
unwanted touches.
Boys talked about their experiences —
this I didn’t know —
they grew up thinking it was normal, you know,
and their guy friends had
unwanted looks,
sent unwanted messages,
gave unwanted touches.
But what I remember best, though, was the rage.
So much rage
and cynicism
and fear
and anger;
it choked us, we cried with it, we spoke with it.
Because think about it: it was another case.
Why is it another case?
This piece by our very own Editor-in-Chief, Io Carpiso, was published in collaboration with #equalityIB for their Art Exhibit themed around “Gender Equality in Learning Environments.”
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