Reappropriating a women’s empowerment rally to empower men is patriarchy at its finest. The plights of male survivors are important and should be considered in the empowerment of men, however spaces that are reserved for female survivors should remain specialized on the plights of women. Perhaps the most meaningful ways of creating change across communities is in the coalitions the communities form for an overarching goal rather than development of a multi-platformed movement with very little specificity in goal. Changing the meaning of Take Back the Night is not progressive. It makes no accommodation for male, female or non-binary survivors but creates a culture where special interests are trumped by an ambiguous and unachievable “equality for all” mantra.
Katie Dawes is a senior studying communication.
