Not all men, yes all women is a statement that was created after a man named Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 14 more. He was a virgin at 22 and angry at the world. His plan was to punish woman for rejecting him and to punish sexually active men who lived more enjoyable lives than him. He ended up committing suicide after the shooting but the 2014 Isla Vista killings sparked something in women across America. They tweeted their frustration and outrage at this terrible act of hatred and men responded with the hashtag #notallmen, trying to show that not all men are like Elliot Rodger. Not all men rape, sexually assault, stalk, catcall, or abuse women. Many men felt they were being treated unfairly to be associated with those terrible things. They inadvertently were diminishing the fact that thousands of women have experienced acts of vengeance, abuse, and harassment simply because they are women.

After the hashtag #notallmen gained attention, over 1.5 million women responded with the hashtag #yesallwomen. This was not an attack but an invitation for men to listen to the reality of what all women may experience; threats, assault, abuse, rape, and fear because of their gender.  These kinds of things are not shared often. 68% of sexual assaults are never reported and 98% of rapists will never spend a day in jail because women are too afraid to speak out. But abuse, rape, and sexual assault are very common. Every 107 seconds another American is assaulted and the majority are women. Through these simple internet hashtags women were making their voices heard and becoming vulnerable to the world. It takes a lot of bravery and courage for a women to open up and share their story and this movement allowed them to do just that, with the backing of millions of other people. Women were taking a huge step and they only hoped that men would take the initiative to listen.

Over a year after this statement took over the media by storm, a writer and artist named Jessie Askinazi hosted an event entitled the #yesallwomen art fundraiser. Jessie had followed the story and decided to bring the statement into real life. It was no longer just a statement people stared at on their phone screens and recognized as a problem, but did nothing to really change. The event benefited the East Los Angeles Women’s Center which takes in any woman who needs shelter.  The entirety of the event was focused on advocacy for women and the #yesallwomen was a perfect way to show everyone what Askinazi believed in and why she fought for what she did.  There was music by many different artists, speeches, art, book readings, and celebration. The #yesallwomen art fundraiser proved that issues like this one can move a person enough to make a difference and help influence others too.

This statement is important to me not because I’ve been a victim in the past, but because I don’t want to have to live with any worry of men harming me. I don’t want to have to worry about being raped by someone. I don’t want to have to  worry about receiving death threats if I reject someone. I don’t want to have to worry about being in an abusive relationship. And I do not want to have to worry about my rights as a women being abused by anyone. I believe that more men should be made aware of things like consent and privilege and I believe that more women shouldn’t have to be afraid of pressing charges or telling people their story.   I’m passionate about equality between men and women and this issue is a huge part of it.  Women should respect men and men should respect women in a never ending cycle. The balance right now is off and we need to fix that. Over time women have gained more and more power. Women weren’t always able to vote or even have a job, but things have changed slowly for the better and we can’t stop until #yesallmen treat women with respect and #notallwomen have to live in fear.