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Over recent years, women participating in social movements have not only been confronting armed suppression, but also sexual humiliation based on gender discrimination and misogynistic

attitudes. Likewise, bystanders usually pay extensive attention to the issues being advocated by the movements, but neglect the violation on women’s rights occuring in the process. For

women, oftentimes it is more than limitations on personal freedom or experiences of physical abuse, but also offense and degradation of their bodies. On June 9th, 2019, thousands of

protesters began taking to the streets of Hong Kong to demand the revocation of the Extradition Bill. Nevertheless, during the four months of protests, we have seen hidden problems related

to gender. On the evening of June 9th, a witness photographed the scene of one female protester being carried away by riot police. Soon after, a Facebook fan page named, “Homage to Hong Kong

Police”, posted the photo after intentionally editing the picture to add two spots over the woman’s breasts with the caption, “Find the highlight”, to falsely suggest that she did not wear

underwear. This act by the administrators of the “Homage to Hong Kong police” fanpage ostensibly invokes a public and violent level of humiliation on the female body, which not only deflects

discussion over the Extradition Bill but also obscures the focus of the social movement. The comments section under the post are also filled with sarcastic statements, like “Her parents

should be ashamed” and “It turns out that the police are engaging in a vice operation.” On August 4th, another woman joining the protest at Tin Shui Wai was carried away by five policemen.

During the chaos, her skirt and pants were ripped off. Unable to resist the brutality, the woman was carried away with open legs and an exposed lower body. During the Sunflower Movement in

Taiwan in 2014, a picture of a female participant was taken and shared on news programs, where hosts and guests publicly discussed the girl in an impolite manner. Liu Yi-Han, known as the

“Sunflower Queen” due to her beauty, was referred to as a “quality hooker” by a weekly journal based on a photo sneakily taken by a man from Hong Kong. Meanwhile, an increasing number of

media outlets frantically reported on Liu’s past, depicting her as a hussy. The public also vehemently criticized her behavior, deeming that she degraded social conduct and deserved no

sympathy. However, throughout the movement, she had never desired to be highlighted by the press. This attention had only originated from inappropriate comments made during the news

programs, which resulted in her becoming an extensively covered public figure. They were simply the result of the media pursuing self-interest, while disregarding the fact that it was

unwanted attention. These gender-related incidents manifest the fact that women are prone to unreasonable and hateful verbal or physical abuse during social movement, regardless of country.

In these social movements, the attempt by both societies to render women’s clothing, bodies, gender, and sex as sources of humiliation to place women under submission and reticence is

apparent. During a movement, demonstrators not only present people’s demands to the government, but they also reflect the diverse perspectives of different generations and cohorts on a

single issue. Nonetheless, commencing a meaningful discussion requires rationality and justice. Making a fuss over the female body does nothing to facilitate the movement, rather, it

constitutes prejudice, sarcasm, and deliberate dishonor. Meanwhile, it also reflects a sense of unconcern for the fundamental rights of women as a person to fight for her beliefs on the

street. In short, none of our clothing, bodily features, and gender should be targets of humiliation. OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN‘S RIGHTS: NO WOMEN SHALL BE

DISABLED Through the perspective of sexual reproduction, we are going to discuss the predicaments regarding body, sex, and autonomy that women with disabilities are currently facing in

Taiwan. #WETOO: SEEING MALE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN TAIWAN It is commonly thought that men are always predators in sexual assault, but when men become victims, what dilemma would they

face? AUTHOR: JUDY CHEN Hi everyone! I am Judy, a senior at National Taiwan University. I have a great interest in exploring the world, and working on improving the equality of both genders.