"some girls"

(read on 14 February, as a tribute for One Billion Rising Indonesia 2015)

some girls like to cover up
some don't
and it's okay

some girls want to be boys
some want to stay as girls
some want to be identified as both or neither
and it's okay

some girls like boys
some like girls
some like both or even everyone
and it's okay

but some girls are abused
and it's not okay

some girls are harrassed by the way they dress
and it's not okay at all.
you can dress however you want,
you can show the the world your beautiful body as much as you want
and your fashion choice still won't sexualize you.
you are never too young or too old to dress for yourself
even if you're a minority;
and if anyone dares to sexualize the way you dress then
they are promoting rape culture
and they are the problem.

some girls are discriminated by their gender identity or sexuality
and that is not okay either.
you are free to define who you are and who you love

and i know that it's not easy,
i know it's hard to stand up for yourself and everything you are
when it feels like all you can hear are endless echoes of mockery and shaming;

"Look at her,
what a slut."

You can't surrender to them.
You can't surrender to them because you are not alone
and we are not going to surrender
because all of us,
every single one of us,
live in the world where the media pulls us from the womb
and tell us that it is our responsibility to not get raped,
that it is our fault if we get abused,
that it is shameful to accept and love who we really are.

some girls speak up for themselves
some are not ready
and it's okay,
as long as you keep loving yourself.

because you are worth so much more than all the hatred and discrimination society has put you through-
you are a goddamn treasure,
you are loved,
and you are not alone.