October Newsletter: Pandemic threatens historic FGM bill in the Senate; Philosophy Professor Peter Boghossian on how we can heal divides and stand up to cancel culture

In honor of International Day of the Girl Child this week, let’s ask ourselves this—are we doing enough to end horrific cultural practices that shame, silence, and hurt thousands of girls in the U.S. each year? How else can we give a voice to the suffering of the most vulnerable and honor the memory of the girls who we’ve lost to these abusive practices?

It is our responsibility to do everything in our power to give them a voice and protect them from abuse.

Last month, thanks to support from advocates and donors like you, huge progress was made in doing just that. Through bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the STOP FGM Act of 2020. This bill clarifies and strengthens the federal law against FGM that has been stuck in limbo since being ruled unconstitutional in 2018. We wrote about that ruling here.

We are on the cusp of victory, but the stakes are high! In a blog this month, our Senior Director, Amanda Parker, explains why we need your help now more than ever to secure a ban against FGM in the U.S.

We must also continue to recognize the threat that cancel culture poses to American democracy and freedom of speech. I’ve brought attention to this issue in the media over the past several months and recently participated in a debate hosted by Intelligence Squared on the topic. You can watch it here.

In search for solutions to fend off cancel culture, we asked for guidance in our blog this month from renowned author and professor of philosophy at Portland State University, Peter Boghossian. I found his advice to be fascinating and applicable to everyday life, I hope you do too.

Today, and every day, let’s commit ourselves to fight until every girl is safe from abuse. Thank you for standing with us against harmful traditional practices.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Founder