Justice

Why Janelle Monáe Wants Women to Consider a Sex Strike

April 11th 2017

Janelle Monáe, singer and one of the stars of "Hidden Figures," has a radical plan to make men start giving women the respect they deserve.

Janelle MonáeOlivier Douliery/ABACA via AP Images - apimages.com

Until every man is fighting for our rights, we should consider stopping having sex.

She explained her proposed sex strike to Marie Claire in their May 2017 issue, emphasizing that it all comes down to having respect for women.

"People have to start respecting the vagina. Until every man is fighting for our rights, we should consider stopping having sex. I love men. But evil men? I will not tolerate that. You don't deserve to be in my presence. If you're going to own this world and this is how you're going to rule this world, I am not going to contribute anymore until you change it. We have to realize our power and our magic. Because I am all about black-girl magic, even though I'm standing with all women. But this year? This year, I am so carefree black girl."

After her comments were misconstrued by some as "Janelle Monáe thinks all women should stop having sex," Monáe explained in a Twitter thread why that's not the case, clarifying that her comments have to do with the current administration's stance on women's rights:

Her clarification sparked discussion, with some disagreeing and offering other views, and others understanding her point:

As Monae noted, her comments come after decisions by the Trump administration that could seriously infringe on women's reproductive rights.

On April 3, the Trump administration halted funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

As ATTN: previously reported on Apr. 4, this has a drastic effect on women all over the world:

"The UNFPA has served as the world's largest fund for family planning and reproductive health, specifically geared toward supporting the developing world in more than 150 countries. It provides medical treatment to ensure safe pregnancies and delivery, works in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, helps prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and ensures equality for women.

In 2016 it helped prevent 947,000 unintended pregnancies, saved over 2,300 women from pregnancy-related death, and gave access to contraceptives to three million couples, according to numbers from the organization."

This could be what Monáe is referring to when she tweets "women's rights are trampled on and disregarded."

Or she could be referring to frequent proposals by Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood, which President Cecile Richards said "[threaten] to end access to birth control, breast exams, and cancer screenings for millions of people who count on Planned Parenthood."

As Monáe tweeted, "sometimes you give interviews right after the 'leader of the free world' has a meeting to discuss women's issues with a room full of men...and it's very frustrating."

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