[ShaneGum]

Sometime last year, I experienced something that reaffirmed my belief in myself, the potency of my voice, and the importance of freedom and confidence. It was the wintry eve of the annual German People's March, a day typically associated with unwavering nationalist sentiments. But this time, an unusual vigor powered my stride. Laden heavy with a placard painted with a rallying cry for gender equality, I was prepared to take part in what was indeed a march, but with a distinctive twist.

"Frauen sind frei! - Women are free!" the placard read, its every letter soaked in my conviction. Yet, as I stood in the crowd, something gnawed at my courage. The feeling was one I'd experienced before, a gnawing sense of doubt. You see in the advocacy world, I was seen as an anomaly, a twenty-six-year-old German male feminist scholar. Would my voice resonate amidst the booming sounds of the traditional patriarchal narrative? I could see others, eyes darting toward me, their eyebrows furrowing as they tried to place a square peg in a round hole. Would they overlook my message? Would it get lost in the sea of the 'expected'? Doubt persisted, but it did not, could not, shake my resolve.

As the crowd's chanting began, I lifted my placard high into the frosty air. The words it bore were more than an academic postulation; they mirrored my deepest conviction, my life's pursuit, my obligation to the mothers, sisters, and daughters who deserved better. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a tiny girl on her father's shoulders. She squinted up at my placard, her pink mittens tracing the words in the air. A moment passed before she erupted into a grin, tugging her father's ear to shout into it, "Look, Papa, that man says women are free!" Her words, clear and innocent, cut through the surrounding din, causing a momentary stillness, followed by the ripple of a stirring discussion. The energy change was palpable; I felt it, a wave of acceptance, understanding, and curiosity.

A week later, a friend shared some surprising news, "Your placard, mate, this one’s viral!" A quick search confirmed it. My placard had indeed taken on a life of its own in the virtual world, shared and reposted a thousand times over by feminists and advocates around the globe. I was not an anomaly; I was a catalyst. My words had not drowned in the sea of the 'expected'; instead, they had echoed across oceans, resonating with people on a fundamental human level.

In that moment, I caught a deeper understanding of freedom and confidence. Freedom, not just as a state of being unchained, but the audacity to voice one’s beliefs despite the weight of centuries-old bias. Confidence, not as a mere possession of knowledge, but the courage to stand tall in one's truth, no matter how uncomfortable the platform. Reflecting on it now, the entire experience reminded me of the powerful 'keystone' effect, where one stone can support an entire arch. Who knew one placard could spark a global conversation?

In the end, we might remain the unexpected, the unorthodox, the square pegs in a world full of round holes. But if we keep pushing, if we keep raising our voices, if we persistently hold our placards high - we might just create enough waves to turn the tide, one viral moment at a time.