IDS coverage misrepresents Take Back the Night

I was beyond disappointed with the IDS’s coverage on Oct. 10 of the Take Back the Night rally. The point of Take Back the Night is that women can reclaim their freedom to walk alone at night, their freedom to be free from unwanted sexual advances, their freedom from fear. This is nothing short of a reclamation of autonomy.\nI know that safety is a priority, and that some people’s understanding of that is related only to the behavior of women, when we are not the ones who need to change. But why were their quotes chosen? I had hoped for a better representation of what the rally is actually about.\nThe purpose of the rally is to combat the ubiquitous cultural and educational messages that tell women that they “make poor decisions.” Take Back the Night is not – and should not be – about condemning women in any way. It is not about telling our sisters that they “just don’t care.” In fact, reclaiming our autonomy can start with calling adult women “women,” and not infantalizing them by calling them “girls.”\nTake Back the Night is not about changes “within a woman.” It is about changing society, and the behavior of men who perpetuate crimes against us. It is not about the poor decisions we, as women, make. We are allowed to walk around at night by ourselves. We can even do it wearing a miniskirt, and if we are over 21 and not creating a scene, we can even do it drunk. We have the right to do all of these things. That is what Take Back the Night is all about – taking back our rights.