This week we are celebrating feminism, women’s rights, and the campaigning work by the tireless Malaysian women and men who have helped raised public awareness of social injustice on Loyar Burok. For an entire week you will be treated with thought-provoking and entertaining articles, fiction, and cartoons that explore the multifaceted world of feminisms in Malaysia.

Many Malaysians are up to speed on the deeply-set problems of racism, political misdemeanors, and religious hegemony but sexism remains largely an ignored issue left to the various women’s organisations to address. What many people do not realise is that gender is interconnected with and indeed constitutive of ethnic and religious experiences, and with issues related to politics and nationhood. We hope that LoyarEqual will generate views from these crossroads rather than navel-gazing on the category Women alone. Apart from offering views on life through a kaleidoscopic gendered lens, LoyarEqual is addressing a serious dearth in critical writing about gender and sexism in the Malaysian blogosphere.

Contributions on LoyarEqual are curated to be inclusive, i.e. anti-sexist, anti-racism, non-classist, non-ableist, anti-homophobia and transphobia. This does not mean that LoyarEqual is a non-free speech zone for commenters. Instead, the spirit of inclusivity on LoyarEqual is aimed at making discussions about sexism a safe and welcoming experience for everybody and not for trolls who insist on being offensive for offense’s sake. So enjoy the week, keep an open mind, and allow yourself to be surprised by the many faces of feminism.

Alicia spends far too much time in front of the computer writing her next 1000-word masterpiece. When she's not writing she is seen slaving away over a steaming pot of tasty gruel.