We wear black because our bodies are ours, not yours. We wear black because we are whole autonomous beings, not bodies to manipulate and force your power over. We wear black because our bodies, and what they’ve been put through, should not be sources of shame. We wear black because our voices are powerful and loud and should be heard—we won’t be silenced any longer and told that “this is just how it is”. We wear black for all the women and men who have come forward and shared their stories, thrusting the issues surrounding sexual assault into the spotlight—we are grateful—and the many who are still to come forward, or can’t, or who took their secrets to the grave.

I wear black because, in my country, Australia, 1 in 5 women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime—and an even higher figure for trans women. How is that normal? It ISN’T.

We’re shouting our truths—we’ve always been shouting our truths, only this time it seems like we’re being taken seriously. And we’ll continue to shout and kick and scream and protest until change happens.

Because time’s up. We will no longer stand for what they’ll soon call “how things were”.