LeftLion - International Women's Day 2021

Happy International Women’s Day Nottingham!

International Women’s Day – this year, Monday 8 March – is not just an excuse to post a picture of your best gal pals or beloved female relatives on Facebook. It’s a day which recognises, acknowledges and commemorates the social, economical, cultural and political achievements of women all over the globe, and a call to action to further the fight towards gender parity.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseTheChange.

Individually, we can make a conscious choice to celebrate the achievements of the women around us, raise awareness and speak out

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against gender bias you witness on a daily basis, and take actions – big or small – to ensure gender equality.

Here at LeftLion, we have been lucky enough to meet and interact with hundreds of groundbreaking, game-changing and talented women during our time.

So, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 in style, we delved into our archives and compiled a short publication featuring the stories of some of the most inspiring women this city has ever seen, plus the groups and communities unafraid to smash down the patriarchy’s walls…

Bad Gals from Notts From writers, lawyers and nurses to socialistes and suffragists, Nottingham has played home to some fierce women. Bad Gals from Notts documents the lives of eight women from Nottingham’s history who relentlessly fought for social change and shaped history as we know it.

Read Bad Gals from Notts...

Margaret Humphreys Since first uncovering the scandal in 1987, Margaret Humphreys CBE has worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victims of the British government programme of Home Children, which involved forcibly relocating up to 150,000 poor British infants all over the globe, and has reunited thousands of families with their loved ones after all those years.

Read about Margaret Humphreys...

moan zine MOAN Magazine explores female pleasure through the perspective of women. After two successful issues, we invited MOAN to design the cover of LeftLion Magazine #129. “[This piece gives] the overall idea of female empowerment, sensuality, confidence and luxury. There is an elegance that comes with MOAN, and I do that because I want to visually liberate women.”

Read about Moan Zine..

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nadia whittome In a time when politicians are regularly accused of being out of touch with everyday life, Nadia Whittome showed why her constituents in Nottingham East were right to place their trust in her during the last General Election. During lockdown, Britain’s youngest MP made the decision to return to her former role of frontline care-worker, and still found time to become our regular columnist too…

Read about Nadia whittome MP...

Witch of the east With a story that wouldn’t look out of place in a HBO series, Witch of the East lead singer Aeris Houlihan certainly has plenty of experience to draw upon when writing new material for the band’s latest album, including serving in the armed forces and spending months incarcerated in Eastern Europe as a transgender woman...

Read about Witch of the East..

next gen movement The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis sent reverberations around the world, including Nottingham. Behind the protest held at the Forest Recreation Ground in June 2021 were three young women - Shan Vincent, Tyla Henrique-White and Janelle Brown - who have launched a project aimed at empowering young people to make sure the fight against racism continues to be impactful…

Read about Next Gen Movement...

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shreya Sen-Handley She’s had two books published by HarperCollins, written for international media and was even the regional head of a television channel at the age of 25. It’s fair to say that there are achievers in this world, and then there’s Shreya Sen-Handley. And if that impressive CV wasn’t enough, she’s now become the first Indian and South Asian woman to write a Western, international opera...

Read about shreya Sen-Handley...

tech nottingham With a focus on improving the city as a place to live and work in technology, Tech Nottingham has been hosting events to an ever-increasing audience since 2014, both inspiring and encouraging local women to thrive in the tech industry. As women are still in the minority, with only 16% in technical roles, their aim is to tackle the loneliness and imposter syndrome that can occur…

Read about Tech Nottingham...

Only Fans Creators Through the struggle of lockdown, a lot of us have found creative ways to feel connected. And in this case, to bring in some extra money. With social media being used now more than ever, OnlyFans – the online platform on which creators can post explicit content for a monthly subscription fee - is one of the businesses that has thrived since the pandemic...

Read about Notts’ Only Fans Creators...

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