The Resurgence of Sexism

A sermon, first posted on YouTube in March, recently made headlines when Fox News host Kirsten Powers protested participating in a panel on Sean Hannity's show with Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, who delivered the sermon. Hannity serves as a member of the board of Reverend Peterson’s organization, Brotherhood Organization for a New Destiny (BOND).

The first time I saw the video of Peterson’s sermon about women’s rights, I had to walk away for a few minutes. I didn’t even know where to begin. This sermon is riddled with some of the most hateful, condescending sexism I have ever heard. As a woman in her twenties, I have been blessed to grow up in a culture that, for the most part, accepts me as a whole, functioning, and valuable member of society. I was never told as a child that I couldn’t do science or math because I was a girl. One of my friends in elementary school wanted to be the first female president and no one told her “you can’t do that.” I have been accepted and supported every step of the way. I have been called equal.

But as I’ve grown older and have experienced more, I’ve realized that sexism is far from dead. It’s not something we should sweep under the rug and pretend is a thing of the past. We need to confront people like Rev. Peterson, even if those people are unlikely to change their opinions, because the message needs to be repeated loud and clear: women are not second-class citizens... 

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