#mattmcgorryedit

There were three different experiences which flipped the switch for me: the first was reading Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In. It was the first time I was exposed to the harsh realities women are faced with in the home and in the workplace, personally and systemically. And it included the definition of ‘feminism,’ which, unfortunately, I hadn’t understood was really as simple as all genders having the same rights. At the time I was reading the book, I was also dating a woman who was fundraising for her new business. Her experience was, more often than not, that potential male ‘investors’ were looking for a romantic or sexual relationship rather than an investment opportunity with a woman at the helm. Accepting that women should have to endure sexism and misogyny wasn’t something I could live with, so the experiences she shared with me were truly catalytic. The final, and perhaps most pivotal moment, was watching Emma Watson’s rousing speech at the launch of the United Nations’ HeForShe campaign. The goal of the initiative is to encourage men and boys to become ‘change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime,’ and Emma’s call to action at the end of the speech, ‘If not me, who? If not now, when?’, changed the course of my life.