TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo activist group is taking a stand in the fight for the liberation of all women and girls.
"Womyn Unleashed" invites women to have open conversations that highlight sex trafficking, objectification and sexual violence.
The women gather once a month to share personal stories and collaborate on how they can speak out against the objectification of women.
"It's hard. I think that's the easiest way to describe it. That it's a really hard world to exist in as a woman or a girl," founder of Womyn Unleashed, Kylee Gregg, said.
She's using the feminism activist group to promote an open dialogue.
"The movement I think of women trying to make any change. To me, (it) has been very slow. And so, I think we need to constantly be on top of it if we want equal pay, if we want equal rights, if we want a seat at the table. If we want to make change," said Linda Alvarado-Arce, an activist attending the meeting.
The group says the conversations are to raise consciousness among everyone.
"Right now, we're mostly discussion-based. I find that even if you're not out on the streets 24/7, just talking with other women and girls is super important. Just getting to know that you're not alone, understanding what it's like to be a woman or a girl in this day and age is super important and it's just as important as any other type of activism," Gregg said.
Womyn Unleashed also encourages survivors to speak out and tell their story if they have been a victim before.
"I believe in the issues. I think that women need to come together to talk, to you know build camaraderie, to build strength. And I'm a big strong believer that if I don't do, why would other people do it. So I should come out and support other people so the conversation doesn't die," Alvarado-Arce said.
Gregg says that conversation is intended to continue as long as instances such as last nights Super Bowl performance continue to happen.
"What I noticed in the Super Bowl was the use of a stripper pole and I thought that that was really upsetting because we know that stripping and sex trafficking are inextricably linked. And we know that sex trafficking increases during the Super Bowl. So I felt like something like that was really inappropriate and really contributed to the objectification of women," Gregg said.
Womyn Unleashed plans to meet once a month on Mondays.
You can find more information on the meetings on their Facebook page.
