Today, we salute all women who undoubtedly encounter hurdles in every moment of their lives. It is hard to live in a world where people are immediately judged and put down on the sole basis of their sex assigned at birth—of being a woman. Society and institutions, often led by cisgender heterosexual men, hardheadedly insist on their own version of what a woman should be.

Still, women refuse to be put into boxes created by those who do not share and understand their struggles.

Still, women take leaps and bounds to achieve whatever they want.

Still, women continue to rise and take on these challenges to prove and be true to themselves.

This 2021, the theme for International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. Instead of taking on challenges to change old specific practices, we call on everyone to choose to challenge the system. Choose to challenge patriarchy and those that enable it, so that we may move forward to a gender equal society where gender roles and expectations are eradicated for a more empowered, inclusive, and nondiscriminatory society.

#ChooseToChallenge #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2021 #YESToEquality #LoveWins #SOGIEEqualityNow #PassADBNow #GALANGPhilippines