Dear John,

Happy National Pet Day! You may not recognize me since my mom’s the one who works at the National Women’s Paw Center, not me. But I do consider myself a male ally! And I’d gladly work there if I could type any faster (you don’t want to know how long this email took me).

It’s been a ruff few months for gender justice. So this National Pet(er) Day, I decided to ask some of my best friends at the Paw Center about the issues most important to them. Their answers really furtified my spirit and my resolve to keep going. Here’s what they told me:

Piper’s really against book bans. In addition to denying people the chance to read about all different kinds of characters and ideas, she says book bans also mean fewer books to sit on.

Rupert, on the other paw, is really passionate about bodily autonomy and making sure everyone can make their own decisions for their bodies. As you can see, sometimes he wants pets—and other times he really wants his space.

And then, of course, there’s Zissa and Craig. They’re both adamant about doing everything we can to make sure women and their families have a fair shot at economic security. Craig wants better paid leave policies so his moms can stay at home with him as much as possible (he’s a 2-year-old baby). And Zissa wants to close the gender wage gap so her mom can buy her only the best treats (you know how cats are). The rest of my colleagues are also big fans of gender justice!

I hope hearing from all of my favorite colleagues cheered you up! This National Pet Day, I'll leave you with one final piece of advice: take lots of naps and eat plenty of treats so you’re ready to bark, meow, or hiss the next time gender justice is under attack.

In the spirit of justice fur her and justice fur all,

Peter 🐾
Director of Strategic Pawlicies and Pawtnerships
National Women's Paw Center