On this International Day of the Girl, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests. The rights they seek are universal: equality, the ability to make their own choices about how they look and dress and express their identities, and the freedom to do so without facing harassment, intimidation, and violence. We are in awe of the Iranian girls who have played such a leadership role in insisting that the future be different from the past, and that Iranian women enjoy the full rights and opportunities that they deserve.
To all those who are out there advocating for your rights—we are moved by your acts of protest, and bear witness to your bravery in facing down the brutality of a regime resisting calls for change. You are delivering a powerful message that injustice should not be tolerated. There are surely difficult days ahead, and our hearts go out to those who have tragically lost loved ones in Iran. But we believe that the future will ultimately belong to the young women and girls of Iran who are refusing to be silent. You remind us that true power comes not from clinging to the past, but from the effort to build a better future.
