Wednesday is moms teaching daughters sex videosInternational Women's Day, a day to celebrate women and their ongoing contributions to our world. It's also an opportunity to raise awareness about issues affecting women, from the lack of equal pay to the scourge of domestic violence.
SEE ALSO: Girls across the world: This is what 'being a woman' means to meCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among the many world leaders who took time out to mark the occasion, posting a video on his Twitter feed celebrating the day that, by comparison, shames the weak efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump.
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In his video, which packs a lot into less than two minutes, Trudeau declares he and wife, Sophie, "are feminists" and stresses how they're raising their children "to believe that an equal world is a better and more powerful world."
Trudeau name-checks Canadian women like Viola Desmond, a black Canadian who fought racial segregation, for their contribution to Canada's history while reminding viewers that a hard fight ahead remains on issues like equal pay and reproductive rights.
The prime minister also takes a moment to note the even steeper hill that indigenous women, women of color, and trans women face, a moment of specificity that's all the more remarkable for how rare such a call-out is.
Overall, the message got a warm reception, much warmer than the one that Sophie Trudeau received when she posted to Facebook and called on women to thank the supportive men in their lives.
Trudeau has already put his money where his mouth is, quite literally, pledging on Wednesday $650 million (Canadian) to fund initiatives focused on reproductive rights worldwide, including contributions to global programs aimed at ending forced marriages and genital mutilation.
Okay, great. But let's contrast this with the message that President Donald Trump shared on Wednesday which amounted to two tweets.
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Okay, not bad. Probably written by Ivanka, but that's okay. It strikes the right tone and, though it's a generally vague platitude, it's an easy layup and Trump doesn't botch it, which is saying something.
Next tweet, please.
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And here's where we run in to trouble. First of all, the word "I" should not appear in reference to International Women's Day unless the rest of the tweet is "am very sorry for all of the horrible things I have said about women and advocating sexual assault of women because I am famous."
(Not that other Twitter users didn't let him know as much, loud and clear, Wednesday morning.)
This isn't to say that Trudeau's video will magically right all the wrongs being done to women across the globe. But he actually makes and effort, both in words and action which is no small feat in comparison to a president that has rolled back transgender rights, frequently spewed misogynistic comments, and thinks holding Planned Parenthood hostage is good politics.
It's a glaring reminder that though strives are being made, there's still a long way to go for equality in 2017.
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