Get Empowered

By: Nadia Telsey and Lauren R. Taylor

A practical guide for women, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ people to claim our right to be safe, to take up space, and to speak up for ourselves.

Don’t walk alone at night. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Most women and nonbinary people are taught these rules, intended to keep us safe from harassment, abuse, and assault, from a young age. While the #MeToo movement has swept the globe and shined a light on the pervasiveness of gender-based violence that led to these “rules,” the fears persist—and for good reason.

While men—who commit almost all gender-based violence—are the ones who should be responsible for changing, those of us who are targeted shouldn’t have to wait for the world to transform and become a better place in order to live safer, fuller, more authentic lives. Through real-life stories, meaningful questions, and interactive exercises, Get Empowered will teach readers to:

• understand why gendered violence exists and how it shows up
• take up space
• say what they want
• let go of self-blame
• heal from past traumas