Feminism and Free Speech: An Unexpected Alliance
Why must we choose between women’s rights and online freedom? The popular narrative pits them as rivals, but the real conflict reveals a powerful alliance. The SESTA-FOSTA bill, intended to combat sex trafficking, tragically illustrates this point. Both feminists and free speech advocates should strongly oppose this law, as their core values are deeply intertwined.
At first glance, the disconnect seems obvious. One camp fights for marginalized voices, the other protects all voices from censorship. Yet, true feminism has always been about liberation and agency—empowering individuals to control their own lives and narratives. Similarly, free speech is the bedrock of dissent; it protects the very tools needed to challenge power structures and expose injustice. When these tools are dismantled, the most vulnerable are silenced first.
In practice, SESTA-FOSTA has not targeted traffickers effectively. Instead, it has forced platforms to preemptively censor content, pushing sex work into more dangerous, hidden corners. This “harm reduction” approach worsens the problem it claims to solve, stripping workers of online safety networks and community support. The same censorship mechanisms used to silence sex workers today can be weaponized tomorrow against activists, journalists, or anyone challenging the status quo. The infrastructure of control is always built with a noble justification.
The lesson is clear: we cannot legislate away complex social problems by sacrificing our digital commons. True progress requires collaboration, not division. By recognizing that protecting marginalized peoples and defending free expression are two sides of the same coin, we can build a safer, more just world without compromising the open internet that empowers us all.
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