The Places Where Meaning is Found

What activism and motherhood have in common

The night before Reality Based Women Unite 2024

When I was pregnant, I thought it might be nice to disappear from activism for a while after having the baby. Some parts of it were beginning to exhaust me and it felt like the perfect reason to drop off the map. I never intended to stop writing, though I knew that would take a hit, but I knew that by sheer necessity I would have to stop attending events and protests, even giving interviews and actively staying on top of news related to gender ideology. And that prospect seemed appealing! I'd have my baby, after all, and everything else would pale in comparison to that, surely.

Everything else does pale in comparison. If for her sake I could never say another word about this issue again, I'd do it. But truth be told, I do miss it. Not because I'm not fulfilled by focusing most of my energies on being a mom to a young baby, but because my activism and advocacy were more fulfilling and meaningful than I think I truly realized at the time.

Protesting men in women’s prisons in March 2022