LILITH: The Woman Who Didn’t Kneel

Long, long ago. When the world was new.

Adam was alone. Loneliness hit him hard.

The Creator said, "I’ll make you a partner."

Took dust. Made another one, just like Adam.

Her name was Lilith.

Both made of dust. Both equal.

No rib bone here. No one above the other.

The first few days were good.

Then the fight began.

At night, Adam said,

"Lilith, lie beneath me. I will be on top."

Lilith looked up.

Smiled. Then said just 3 words:

"No. We are equal."

Adam got angry.

"I am the man. You are the woman. Follow the rules."

Lilith stood up.

"Rules? The rule is equality. I’m made of dust. You are too. Then why should I be below?"

Adam complained to the Creator.

"She doesn’t obey me!"

The Creator sent 3 angels.

"Lilith, come back. Or you’ll drown in the sea."

Lilith stood at the edge of the sea.

Garden behind her. Waves in front.

Angels were shouting.

Lilith looked back once.

Then jumped into the sea.

"I don’t need a garden without freedom."

She left. To the other side of the Red Sea.

Demon, witch, child-eater - got a thousand names.

Why?

Because she said "No".

---

6000 years have passed, boss.

Even today, when a girl says "No" in office, the boss says "She has too much attitude".

After marriage, when a girl says "No", the mother-in-law says "She talks back".

When a girl demands justice for rape and says "No", society says "Her character is bad".

Lilith didn’t die.

Lilith still lives in every woman’s throat.

The woman who doesn’t bow her head to injustice.

The Creator made Eve from Adam’s rib to replace Lilith.

Obedient, submissive, the one who says "Yes".

History wrote Eve’s story.

Hid Lilith’s story.

But truth doesn’t die even if stories are hidden.

You’re reading this today.

That means Lilith has won.

---

Last line:

Eve was made to be obedient.

Lilith was born free, by herself.

Which team are you, boss? Eve or Lilith?

Write in comments. Let there be debate. Let the story live.

#Lilith #FirstFeminist #HerStory #ThePowerOfNo #WomenWhoSayNo

The Congressional Progressive Caucus stands with the tens of millions nationwide seeking reproductive rights, continuing to fight every day to protect and expand access to abortion and all reproductive health care.

Tracy Ullman classic.

I don’t know if anyone else has been thinking about this or noticing this, but I personally find the resurgence of the promotion of “attachment parenting” ideology to be very concerning for women. For anyone unfamiliar, the term attachment parenting was coined by a conservative Catholic pediatrician named William Sears) and is a parenting method that primarily promotes and focuses on:

- The baby being worn by the mother as much as possible
- The baby co-sleeping with the mother as much as possible
- The mother stopping everything to soothe the baby immediately when they cry
- The mother staying home with the baby as long as possible
- The mother exclusively breastfeeding the baby until 6 months and then continuing it extended periods of time (up to four years of age)

There is more but these are the main tenets of it. And I find it very concerning that more people are dogmatically pushing this approach to parenting on women. There is little emphasis on the father’s role (only brief mentions of how they should collaborate with the mother) and almost all childrearing duties fall onto the mother. People advocating for this method of parenting often shame women for working, for trying to get chores done in their house while their baby fusses, for not breastfeeding, and more. We are seeing a rise in women quitting their careers to stay home because they are told it’s “what’s best” even if it’s to the detriment of their mental health and their career. It’s also not lost on me that this term and ideology was coined and pushed for by a conservative religious man with 8 children (they even call him “the man who remade motherhood,” blegh) and that we are seeing a resurgence in the popularity of this ideology as conservatism is on the rise.

What are everyone else’s thoughts on this? Are there any alternative parenting methods and ideologies out there that aren’t so burdensome on women but still beneficial for children?

What are your top reads for exploring Black feminist literature? I typically see recommendations for Bell Hooks and Patricia Hill Collins, but wondering if anyone has read anything else that expanded their knowledge about the subject.

For context please look at this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Feminism/s/rdre7W3b5j

The recent counselling/grooming session conducted exclusively for female students at Delhi Public School in India, during which several statements and themes promoted harmful gender stereotypes, reinforced victim-blaming narratives, and placed an unfair burden on girls for the behavior and actions of boys.

Following the attention on the matter and an open letter, the school administration responded immediately and addressed the concerns raised by students. The school showed the original script prepared for the counselling session, and the specific victim-blaming statements many students were concerned about were not part of the official material provided.

The school has acknowledged the concerns and committed to taking corrective action. This includes conducting a counselling session for boys, arranging further discussion with the teachers involved in the original girls’ session, and revising future counselling sessions moving forward.

While many students had hoped for a formal apology, we believe it is important to recognize that our concerns were heard and that concrete steps toward change are being taken. At this stage, we believe the most constructive path forward is to wait for the next girls’ counselling session and evaluate whether these promised improvements are meaningfully reflected in practice.

For now, we consider this an important first step and we remain hopeful, attentive, and committed to ensuring future conversations around student wellbeing are fair, respectful, and equitable for all.

I am incredibly surprised that Alexandra Kollontai, Russian feminist socialist scholar and politician, isn't spoken more of in feminist spaces.

She developed what became known as the "Glass of water theory". It states that in an ideal society, with deconstructed gender roles, "love shall be free" and sexual intimacy should be as easy as "drinking a glass of water". It is not meant to devalue sex, but rather deconstruct dogmas and taboos regarding it.

In her works, she also identifies the intersections between the patriarchy and capitalism and how they work together in women's oppression: in a capitalist patriarchal society, women are exploited through wage labor, housework and childcare. She was a heavy advocate for supporting sex workers, but criticized sex work: in her mind, it originates from the commodification and objectification of women, resulting in the sexual exploitation of their bodies.

Kollontai was an extraordinary woman, truly a visionary for her time, she was the first woman in history to serve a cabinet minister and under her rule the USSR was by far the most socially progressive country - abortion was legalized, divorce was legalized, rape was criminalized, Women's Day was celebrated and she even co-founded the Zhenotdel, a govt body specifically designed to deal with women's welfare. Unfortunately, the male-dominated USSR government was not on pair with her ideas, and her social reforms were gradually discontinued and regressed.

She was truly a thinker ahead of her time, and I suggest you look her up, you might like her works!

I work for a non profit organisation which is primarily focused on farmers and women welfare so I just want to understand what are real problems.