In March of 2023, I used Women’s History Month to write a half-satirical column about women and oral sex. The piece was so lighthearted, playful and honest. Upon reflection, I recognize how empowered I must have felt to write so casually and openly about female pleasure. I’m proud to report that I still carry that sense of empowerment — it’s why I continue to Talk About Sex every other Thursday for an audience formed primarily of my peers.
Although my internal sense of empowerment remains, 2025’s Women’s History Month feels different. Most notably, its paramount Women’s Day, historically celebrated on March 8, was quietly scrubbed from Google Calendar — one of several holidays commemorating marginalized groups to be erased. This change came just a few weeks after the inauguration of an administration that unabashedly promises to suppress women and reverse their rights.
Women’s History Month and Women’s Day are a time to celebrate womanhood. In a century defined by hard-won advances in women’s rights, the holiday has been able to shift its energy toward one of celebration and less on historical significance. But it should not be forgotten that, core to its establishment around 1848, Women’s History Month serves to remind the world that we are here. It includes queer and trans women, women of color, incarcerated women and so many others.
In 2025, amid an eerie atmosphere of regression, that core message — We are here. — feels more urgent than ever.
For students, this implies more than a symbolic celebration. It means learning what resources are available to us, spreading awareness of their presence and sharing them whenever possible. For students in Ithaca, these are resources are fortunately abundant:
Cornell’s Gender Equity Resource Center, which began as the Women's Resource Center, is located on campus in Willard Straight Hall. It functions as a welcoming space dedicated to promoting equity on campus. Sexual safety tools, including condoms, dental dams, finger cots and pregnancy tests, are available for free, as well as a range of feminine products and, might I add, a frequently stocked supply of sweet treats.
Downtown, the Tompkins County Advocacy Center provides support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Center also provides legal advocacy for victims, operates a 24-hour crisis hotline (607-277-5000), runs a confidential safe house and offers to accompany individuals to sexual assault forensic exams.
Ithaca’s Planned Parenthood, like Planned Parenthood’s all over the country, offers a range of support from birth control and emergency contraceptives to cancer and STD screening, pregnancy support and abortion. This office is within walking distance of Ithaca campuses and offers many services without requiring insurance, copays, or deductibles.
While all of these resources are critical, it is also empowering and important to know about the lighthearted ways our community supports women. After all, we are more than bodies and victims:
On the second Friday of each month, downtown Ithaca’s Deep Dive bar opens its doors for a themed queer disco. Although the event is not exclusive to women, it is thoughtfully arranged by them to create a safe and welcoming space for anyone, especially those on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I’d take any night dancing here over a campus frat party, where I’m conditioned to watch my back and cover my drink.
In April, WenDo Women, a Canadian, for-women-by-women self-defense program, will offer a five-week self-defense class for anyone who lives and identifies as a woman. The course will be geared towards ages 10+ and aims to create a sense of empowerment and confidence rooted in mutual support.
Finally, the previously mentioned Tompkins County Advocacy Center hosts an annual Take Back the Night march and rally, with groups departing from Cornell’s Ho Plaza, Ithaca College’s campus and downtown. All converge on the Commons for a night of live music, speakers and community. Though open to all, the event’s 1877 origins lie in the fight to end violence against women of all backgrounds — a purpose still felt deeply today.
All of this is to say that erasing Women’s Day from calendars does not erase women. Instead, it sends a message that we must be louder, stronger and more united than ever. For the few days left in this year’s Women’s Month, I urge you to take pride in what it means to be a woman, to love a woman, or to have a daughter, mother or sister and channel that pride into power and support.
If we use that power to uplift instead of erase, hopefully, by next year, I can go back to writing sex satire on March 8th — as all should be.
Grace Elmore is a student at Cornell University. Comments can be sent to gelmore@cornellsun.com. Grace and her column can be found on Instagram, @graace.elmoree Let’s Talk About Sex runs during alternate Sex on Thursdays this semester.
