{"id":78665,"date":"2025-05-27T11:32:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T15:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=78665"},"modified":"2025-08-11T10:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T14:12:22","slug":"shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Shame on Women Who Abandon Fellow Women. We Need Each Other"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Now is not the time to abandon feminist principles, or each other. We must stand \u2013 or sit \u2013 together. (Credit: Candice Helfand-Rogers)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Over Memorial Day weekend, former swimmer<\/a> turned conservative personality Riley Gaines made headlines<\/a> by taking on a new adversary: Kermit the Frog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His offense was serving as a commencement<\/a> speaker at the University of Maryland last week, where Muppets creator Jim Henson earned his degree decades earlier. Among the green guy\u2019s bits of advice to the Class of 2025: \u201cRather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side \u2013 because life is better when we leap together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaines appeared on Fox News show \u201cHannity Special\u201d to decry the address the very next night. \u201cIt\u2019s unserious, it\u2019s out-of-touch and frankly, it\u2019s insulting,\u201d Gaines said of the university\u2019s choice to feature Kermit, before smearing the progressive slant of the speech itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be funny, devoid of context \u2013 a grown woman appearing on a news program to discuss the scourge of leftist puppets indoctrinating young people into the cult of the Rainbow Connection. But you can\u2019t discuss the interview without discussing why Gaines was there in the first place \u2013 which Kermit actually, if unintentionally, touched upon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She achieved her level of prominence \u2013 which includes a significant social-media following and gigs hosting sports podcasts for Fox \u2013 as an anti-trans influencer, pushing against trans women\u2019s involvement in sports and lobbying for prohibitive legislation in that vein. This all came following a March 2022 loss to trans swimmer Lia Thomas, who edged Gaines out of fifth place at an NCAA meet held that day. (Nevermind the four cisgender women who also beat her, I guess.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Gaines is not the only woman to push for trans exclusion with the metaphorical microphone she was given. JK Rowling, UK-based author of the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d series, has become an anti-trans crusader as well, dedicating a considerable portion<\/a> of her immense wealth to furthering that cause in England. (Wealth that only stands to grow as the HBO adaptation of her books continues to develop<\/a>; wealth she already plans to use<\/a> to strengthen her campaign against trans women.) Back in the U.S., Rep. Nancy Mace is doing the same<\/a>, now seemingly unable to visit a public restroom<\/a> without tweeting about its lack of gendered signage.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"UN\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Report: 90% of Women\u2019s Aid Programs Worldwide Are At a \u2018Breaking Point\u2019\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

They\u2019re all guilty of the same crime: Women betraying women. And they\u2019re certainly not alone in committing this broader wrong. (See Broadway star Patti Lupone\u2019s recent dismissive, frankly rude treatment<\/a> of fellow greats Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis for a more interpersonal, also-high-profile example \u2013 though of course, that sort of derisive and underhanded behavior plays out between women on all tiers of society, from friendships to boardrooms.) But it must be said that conservative female lawmakers like Mace have worked against their fellow women to a whole other level than even the rich, prominent, outspoken celebrities \u2013 by codifying regressive sentiments<\/a> like anti-trans views, as well as anti-abortion stances, into laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their actions aren\u2019t just hurtful \u2013 they\u2019re harmful, even deadly. Here and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example: Georgia\u2019s 2019 abortion law<\/a> \u2013 which prohibits abortion after just six weeks of gestation \u2013 was introduced, in part, by a cohort of women Republicans: Rep. Jodi Lott, Rep. Darlene Taylor, Rep. Ginny Ehrhart and Sen. Renee Unterman. Though it was ruled unconstitutional in 2020, that order was reversed in 2022, not long after the fall of Roe v. Wade<\/a> (also brought about by a woman). And now, it\u2019s the law currently keeping Adriana Smith<\/a> and her family trapped in a sort of hell on Earth. Though medically declared brain dead, Smith is being kept physically alive until August \u2013 because she was eight weeks pregnant when admitted to the hospital, and the law dictates that the child be \u201ccarried\u201d until it is old enough to live outside of the womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example: Sara Millerey Gonz\u00e1lez, a trans Colombian woman, was brutally murdered<\/a> in April, in an especially galling attack being called a hate crime by authorities \u2013 crimes that are spiking of late because of the anti-trans sentiments being disseminated by the likes of Gaines and Rowling, and drafted into legislation by the likes of Mace, experts say<\/a>. Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s mother, Sandra Borja, was with her as she died. In her last moments, she told her daughter that \u201cshe was going to be with God, because no one in heaven was going to humiliate or discriminate against her for being her.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While notably horrific, neither example is unique. Anti-abortion legislation is killing women<\/a> around the nation; anti-trans hate is killing women<\/a> around the world.

It all begs the question: Who is actually being protected and uplifted? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer: The bad actors themselves. These women \u2013 the politicians and the public figures alike \u2013 have sold out other women in pursuit of grabbing and holding tight to a small portion of power. These women were given the keys to a vehicle for change \u2013 and they\u2019ve chosen to drive over their sisters with it, aiming directly at those who need help the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always believed that there is something sacred about the bond between women \u2013 that in addition to the shared responsibility that comes with our general humanity, we must be especially aware of helping out those of us hurt most by the way our world works. For women, that means taking particular care with and for one another. (White women, we have an especially important responsibility in this regard.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To live in this nation, this world, as a woman \u2013 is to know bone-deep frustration and fear. To be passed over<\/a>, looked through and looked down upon. To be mocked or mansplained<\/a>. Derided<\/a>, then dismissed. To be and feel perpetually less safe<\/a> at any given moment, in any setting \u2013 especially our own homes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which makes woman-to-woman betrayal that much harder to stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, examples abound of women who do honor the ties that bind us \u2013 the types of women we celebrate here at The Story Exchange. Women leaders like Maine Gov. Janet Mills<\/a> and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>; entrepreneurs running women-focused businesses like Maggie Gavil\u00e1n and Emily San Jose of Mother Euro<\/a> and Adrienne Bitar and Jenny Han of Seen Nutrition<\/a>; nonprofit founders like Anita Saville of Women\u2019s Money Matters<\/a> and Nikki Porcher of Buy from a Black Woman<\/a>; and movement makers like domestic-worker-turned-organizer Dorothy Bolden<\/a> and abolitionist, suffragist and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At our best, we women can be the most powerful teachers and leaders-by-example of how love is action. It\u2019s intention and protection. It\u2019s doing for and caring about one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at our worst\u2026 we\u2019re on Fox News, complaining about \u201cwoke\u201d puppetry \u2013 using an ill-gotten platform to broadcast hateful causes and messages that claim our sisters\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We get to decide who we want to be. ◼️<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Les\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Helping Women Click \u2013 and Clink \u2013 Away at the Loneliness Epidemic\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebrities don’t get is: Women have a unique responsibility to one another, Candice Helfand-Rogers writes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":78666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19648],"tags":[19588,19478,19645,20186,19714],"class_list":["post-78665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-feminism","tag-lgbtq","tag-opinion","tag-social-justice","tag-womens-rights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn Op-Ed on JK Rowling, Riley Gaines, Anti-Abortion Pols<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebs don't get is: Women have a responsibility to one another, this op-ed says.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shame on Women Who Abandon Fellow Women. We Need Each Other\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebrities don't get is: Women have a unique responsibility to one another, Candice Helfand-Rogers writes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-27T15:32:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T14:12:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"971\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An Op-Ed on JK Rowling, Riley Gaines, Anti-Abortion Pols","description":"What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebs don't get is: Women have a responsibility to one another, this op-ed says.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shame on Women Who Abandon Fellow Women. We Need Each Other","og_description":"What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebrities don't get is: Women have a unique responsibility to one another, Candice Helfand-Rogers writes.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2025-05-27T15:32:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-11T14:12:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":971,"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/"},"author":{"name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9"},"headline":"Shame on Women Who Abandon Fellow Women. We Need Each Other","datePublished":"2025-05-27T15:32:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T14:12:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/"},"wordCount":1167,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg","keywords":["feminism","LGBTQ","Opinion","Social Justice","Women's Rights"],"articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/","name":"An Op-Ed on JK Rowling, Riley Gaines, Anti-Abortion Pols","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-27T15:32:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T14:12:22+00:00","description":"What anti-abortion legislators and transphobic celebs don't get is: Women have a responsibility to one another, this op-ed says.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Women-Image-2.jpg","width":1080,"height":971,"caption":"Women for Women Helping Aid Sisterhood"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/shame-on-women-who-abandon-fellow-women-we-need-each-other\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Shame on Women Who Abandon Fellow Women. We Need Each Other"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9","name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","description":"Candice Helfand-Rogers has worked as a journalist for some of the largest news organizations in the country over the course of her career, including CBS Local News and The Star-Ledger. She earned her B.A. in Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University. In her spare time, she enjoys singing with several ensembles in New York City and spending time with her son. Please contact candice@thestoryexchange.org with questions or pitches.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78665"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78704,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78665\/revisions\/78704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}