As a woman, and on this International Women’s Rights Day, I want to celebrate the unwavering strength and infinite beauty of those who, every single day, shape the world with their courage, resilience, and love.
They tell us to be wise, to be discreet, to be perfect.
To be mothers before we are women, to be wives before we are free.
But look at us—look at how we shine,
How we lift our heads despite the storms,
How we carry the world without ever faltering.
And yet, too often, they still demand that we prove our worth.
We are women—all of us—without conditions, without debate.
We are the ones who give life, the ones who reinvent it, the ones who claim it as our own.
The ones they try to erase, the ones they refuse to hear,
The ones who fight every single day just to be recognized.
To you, my transgender sister, whom I will never forget, who carries within you the same fire.
You, who must fight twice as hard for the truth to be acknowledged:
You are a woman. Fully, entirely, indisputably.
No matter what some may say, no matter what some may think.
No law, no insult, no sideways glance will ever erase who you are.
In my eyes, in the eyes of billions, you belong here, and we will always walk by your side.
Women of light, of boldness, of wisdom, we carry within us the hope of a fairer, brighter future.
Our very existence enriches humanity, tears down barriers, and inspires change.
We are both the quiet strength and the rising rebellion.
We are the builders and the ones who break the mold,
The ones who fall and the ones who rise, again and again.
Today, and every day that God grants us, we deserve to be recognized, honored, and heard for who we truly are.
We are not required to be perfect as they expect, nor strong at every moment.
We have the right to doubt, the right to fear, but above all, the right to take our place without asking for permission.
We are not obliged to be mothers, not obliged to be wives,
Not obliged to fit into the boxes they have built for us.