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Activists Around the World: The Feminist Five · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to SAFT
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: when they were told you production of iHeart Radio, and
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: welcome to activists around the world. Today we're gonna talk
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  Speaker 1: about feminism in China, and we're gonna talk about a
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: lot of things, but we're pretty much focusing on and
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  Speaker 1: with that, we couldn't talk about feminism in China without
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  Speaker 1: looking into some of the women who have been pushing
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  Speaker 1: to advocate for our rights for the Chinese women and
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  Speaker 1: queer community. And today we're talking about the Feminist Five.
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  Speaker 1: So in a campaign spread throughout the country to protest
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  Speaker 1: against sexual harassment on public transportation led by the Feminist Five.
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  Speaker 1: Before we get in there, let's talk about the feminism
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  Speaker 1: in China. When it comes to feminism in China, the
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  Speaker 1: movement has been slow going, but many have stated they
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  Speaker 1: felt it was getting more attention and more support today
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  Speaker 1: than before. So the current government under Cheeching paying with
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  Speaker 1: the Communist Party Congress of China, have not made many
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  Speaker 1: moves to show any type of support for women in
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  Speaker 1: the country, as in fact, no women were appointed to
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  Speaker 1: the leadership of the Chinese government, making it the first
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  Speaker 1: time in twenty five years that there's no woman represented
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  Speaker 1: in the leadership role, which is made up of twenty
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  Speaker 1: four party leaders that governed the country for the next
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  Speaker 1: five years. And ironically, she promised in a to address
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  Speaker 1: UH celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of the UN Fourth
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  Speaker 1: World Congress on Women to improve women's status by pushing
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  Speaker 1: for gender equality and protecting the overall rights of women. UM.
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  Speaker 1: But seeing the current state of the government leaders, it
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  Speaker 1: doesn't seem as if he is moving in the right
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  Speaker 1: direction to fulfill his promises. But the conversation of the
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  Speaker 1: feminist government in China has been rising. Thinks in part
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  Speaker 1: to the activism of the Feminist Five and awakening happened
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  Speaker 1: within the country. But before we talk about what they did,
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about who made up the five right, And
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  Speaker 1: we're gonna go ahead and put a little asterix here.
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  Speaker 1: The names were kind of hard to find to pronounce.
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  Speaker 1: We're going to try our best to respect the pronunciations.
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  Speaker 1: But please don't come at us. If you want to
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  Speaker 1: correct us kindly, that would be that's fine, But we
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  Speaker 1: mean to us. Okay, we're trying our best. So we're
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: gonna start with Wu wrong Grong Wu worked with the
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  Speaker 1: Women's Rights group in ring Ping and founded though Waiting
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  Speaker 1: Women's Center in Hung Joe We studied at the China
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  Speaker 1: Women's University, majoring in social work and working as a
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  Speaker 1: feminist activist and advocate. And not only did she work
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  Speaker 1: with different organizations that led many campaigns throughout the country,
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  Speaker 1: but she also was a project leader of Beijing Ping
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  Speaker 1: Center for Women's rights programs and worked with Beijing's Aji
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  Speaker 1: Shing Institute and Engia working for the rights of those
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  Speaker 1: living with HIV and AIDS. And then we have Lee
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  Speaker 1: ting Ting or also known as Lee Matza Sorry y'all uh.
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  Speaker 1: Lee has been a part of the activism world for
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  Speaker 1: a while, including creating the Elizabeian Community Trading Group in
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  Speaker 1: the secondary of her time at the university, which offered
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  Speaker 1: counseling services as well as support for students. She was
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  Speaker 1: involved with several public demonstrations, including one in twelve where
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  Speaker 1: she and two others walked down a shopping area wearing
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  Speaker 1: bridle gowns covered in blood to bring awareness to the
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  Speaker 1: issues of domestic violence in China, and again later demonstrated
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  Speaker 1: in protest for the large lines for women's bathrooms by
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  Speaker 1: encouraging women to use the men's bathroom, which was called
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  Speaker 1: the occupied Men's Room. It also was to call out
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  Speaker 1: the gender gap and gender privileges of the workspace. Uh
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  Speaker 1: then there's Waiting Ting, who is also queer in women's
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  Speaker 1: rights activist. Way was part of the Wuhan Rainbow and
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  Speaker 1: LGBT Organization. As well as becoming a director of the
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  Speaker 1: LGBT organization. She also co founded the National Bisexual Network
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  Speaker 1: in China. Way worked as the project manager at the
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  Speaker 1: Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, which was an agency working
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  Speaker 1: to raise awareness in gender and equities, sexual diversity, and
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  Speaker 1: sexual health. And then there is Wangman. Wong is researcher
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  Speaker 1: about gender studies and has been working for an anti
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  Speaker 1: poverty in g O. She later participated with the Occupy
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  Speaker 1: Men's Toilets movement. And then there is Jung Turon also
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  Speaker 1: known as a Big Rabbit. Jung is an activist and
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  Speaker 1: writer who was invited to join the Other four for
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  Speaker 1: the Occupy Men's Tilet protest in twelve. She also went
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  Speaker 1: on to help with the Bloody Bride's protest. So now
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  Speaker 1: that we've met the women, let's talk about it. On
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  Speaker 1: International Women's Day. In the Feminist five were arrested for
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  Speaker 1: quote picking quarrels and provoking trouble. We love that, not
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  Speaker 1: the arrested part, but that title. The ladies had planned
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  Speaker 1: to protest event that would include them and others handing
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  Speaker 1: out anti sexual harassment stickers on the subway to bring
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  Speaker 1: awareness of the sexual harassment on public transportation, but before
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  Speaker 1: they even started, all five women were arrested and detained
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  Speaker 1: for thirty seven days. As the women were detained, all
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  Speaker 1: of them were interrogated and threatened to stop their activism.
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  Speaker 1: Lee was cursed and persecuted for her sexuality as a lesbian.
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  Speaker 1: Her father was used against her as she was forced
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  Speaker 1: by the agents to write her a letter to convince
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  Speaker 1: her to stop her work. Who tried to take the
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  Speaker 1: blame actually and convinced the agents to release the other
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  Speaker 1: activists as she was the founder of the women's center
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  Speaker 1: and at the time of the rest, who was receiving
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  Speaker 1: treatment for an illness which she had been the hospital
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  Speaker 1: for previously, and then she was immediately taken into custody
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  Speaker 1: and she was denied medical treatment at that time, and
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  Speaker 1: who wasn't the only one with health conditions Um Wong
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  Speaker 1: who had a heart condition at the time was concerned
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  Speaker 1: about whether she would be able to make it under
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  Speaker 1: distress and harsh conditions of prison. Wang Way and Jung
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  Speaker 1: all have their classes confiscated. I struggle with that word
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  Speaker 1: before they were locked up, and it could not see
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  Speaker 1: clearly during their detention, and Jong, who suffered from anxiety,
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  Speaker 1: also had issues of hair falling out in his Samni
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  Speaker 1: during her detention. Uh, it was recorded that she had
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  Speaker 1: felt guilty as if she was the one who who
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  Speaker 1: thought of the sticker idea um all, but we were
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  Speaker 1: locked up near each other, uh, though she wasn't too
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  Speaker 1: far away. They said that they were able to comfort
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  Speaker 1: each other during this time by talking and singing with
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  Speaker 1: each other. So the rest of the Feminist Five went
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  Speaker 1: international and many public figures spoke out, including Hillary Clinton
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  Speaker 1: and Joe Biden UH, and there was also a hashtag
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  Speaker 1: hashtag Free Beijing twenty five. There was also support from
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  Speaker 1: the people around China, as in fact, women protested with
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  Speaker 1: masks of the Feminist Five to show support, and then
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  Speaker 1: the women lawyers around China also came together to reach
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  Speaker 1: out to the Department of Public Safety and even launched
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  Speaker 1: complaints for the release of the women, which actually resulted
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  Speaker 1: in the government prosecuting the humans rights lawyers, including the
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  Speaker 1: lawyer that represented Lee Wong You, who would actually be
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  Speaker 1: detained later on, but the feminist five were released after
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  Speaker 1: thirty seven days due to the international pressure around them.
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  Speaker 1: But the government continued surveilling and monitoring the five women
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  Speaker 1: and most of the women that have actually left the
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  Speaker 1: main part of China right. So Lee went on to
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  Speaker 1: travel and live abroad. She was able to deliver speeches
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  Speaker 1: and bring awareness to the needs of those in the
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  Speaker 1: marginalized community. Um she studied in England and the Human
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  Speaker 1: Rights Master's program at the University of Sussex. After her studies,
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  Speaker 1: she returned to her home in Beijing, and Lee talked
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  Speaker 1: about why she returned. She said, quote the reason why
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  Speaker 1: I decided without hesitation to return to China is simple.
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  Speaker 1: There is no escape. We live in a time when
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: every day we can be disgusted by Trump. What's so
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  Speaker 1: disheartening is that people are getting used to this awful
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  Speaker 1: world staying angering away. I realized that the longer I
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  Speaker 1: stayed in England, the more I felt like I needed
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  Speaker 1: to return to China as a feminist activist, a gay
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  Speaker 1: rights activist. Other than turning to my own country. What
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  Speaker 1: better choices there? When history happens, I must be present
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  Speaker 1: with this conviction. I came back to China Way continued
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  Speaker 1: to work to fight against sexual harassment in China, even
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  Speaker 1: after the original organization was shut down. She went on
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  Speaker 1: to open the Guang Joe Gender and Sexuality Education Center
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  Speaker 1: the g SEC, which was also shut down in ten
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  Speaker 1: but she continued to push forward and launched a new
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  Speaker 1: program which helps the victims of sexual violence. Jung has
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  Speaker 1: continued to write as a freelancer. She also has continued
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  Speaker 1: to advocate for the rights of women around the world.
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  Speaker 1: She was a big part of the hashtag me two
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  Speaker 1: movement in China and even wrote to President Trump about
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  Speaker 1: his sexist behavior, which went viral online. Right Long struggled
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  Speaker 1: after her detention and was reported that her life was
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  Speaker 1: quote shattered. The last report on her activities show that
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  Speaker 1: she has gone back to the academic and social work field. Woo,
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  Speaker 1: as leader of the group, had been through quite a
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  Speaker 1: lot during her detention and even more so after she
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  Speaker 1: was released. She soon returned to the academic field with
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  Speaker 1: her expertise and public interest related to psychological counseling UM,
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  Speaker 1: and she was last reported to be living in Hong Kong.
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  Speaker 1: And by the way, these updates were so of course
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  Speaker 1: they're not completely up to date. UM. And I know
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  Speaker 1: that that many of them have done many more things,
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  Speaker 1: but it's not well known. I think Lee is the
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  Speaker 1: most well known right now and the loudest activists thus far.
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  Speaker 1: She did, I think recently get married not too long ago,
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  Speaker 1: a few years ago, to her wife. So that's beautiful,
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  Speaker 1: uh to see. But yeah, there's not a lot we know.
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  Speaker 1: I believe one of the other activist husband soon got
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  Speaker 1: arrested for his activism as well. So there's a lot
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  Speaker 1: going on obviously, UM. And there's a lot of conversation,
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  Speaker 1: and apparently there's been a thing where women in the
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  Speaker 1: smaller villages had been kidnapped and forced to have children.
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  Speaker 1: There's so many things in happening in China. Honestly, as
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  Speaker 1: bad as that sounds, it kind of sounds on par
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  Speaker 1: with some of the things that's happening in the U
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  Speaker 1: S when it comes to women's rights. So we definitely
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  Speaker 1: want to support and um keep an eye out for
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  Speaker 1: the ladies and the marginalised community in China as well.
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  Speaker 1: So in an article written by lupin another Chinese feminist
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  Speaker 1: activists talked about the impact of the Feminist Five and
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  Speaker 1: even the aftermath and the conversations that have happened since.
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  Speaker 1: She says, amidst the challenges, the Feminist Five have not
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  Speaker 1: scaled back their activism. On the contrary, I think the
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  Speaker 1: most remarkable thing the last four years is that despite
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  Speaker 1: not receiving do compensation for their sacrifices they made, they
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  Speaker 1: did not complain. Instead, they've been forward thinking from the
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  Speaker 1: very beginning, being creative and exploratory as they seek ways
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  Speaker 1: to continue their work, whether as individual activists, as freelancers,
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  Speaker 1: or even entrepreneurs. They have found ways to pair their
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  Speaker 1: personal development with their social ideals. And I think it's
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  Speaker 1: good to also mentioned there was a huge controversy at
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  Speaker 1: one point in time because there was all these supposed
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  Speaker 1: funds that was coming from NGOs around the world, but
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  Speaker 1: China immediately set a law saying that they could not
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  Speaker 1: receive money unless those NGOs were based in China, So
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  Speaker 1: they have no support and no money um and this
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  Speaker 1: accusation that they made money was absolutely false and probably
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  Speaker 1: a smear campaign, And they have since then had no
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  Speaker 1: money since their release, really struggling to make ends me
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  Speaker 1: and they kind of had this moment in one of
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  Speaker 1: the articles that they felt like they had to choose
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  Speaker 1: money over activism, which is not necessarily true, but it's true.
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  Speaker 1: They have to live, so they can't constantly be the
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  Speaker 1: martyrs essentially UM for a cause that sometimes has a
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  Speaker 1: lot of pushback UM and has them right now being
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  Speaker 1: pretty surveilled and watched by the government. So there's a
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  Speaker 1: lot going on. A lot of these women have one
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  Speaker 1: different awards, including being the one hundred Top Women of BBC.
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  Speaker 1: You know, we love that award and we will continue
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  Speaker 1: watch and see what is happening. Yes, and as always listeners,
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: if you have any more information about the people were
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: covering or what's going on, we love hearing from you
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: about it and any suggestions you have for for people
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: we should cover in this segment or organizations were should cover,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: you can email as the Steffi mom Stuff at I
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: right media dot com. You can find us on Twitter
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: at mom Stuff podcast or Instagram and TikTok at Stuff
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: Mob Never Told You. Thanks as always to our super
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: producer Christina, thank you and thanks to you for listening.
• 12:13
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