This morning I had the great joy of leading six girls from the Ramla villages of Luxor in a boxing workout. We are the Luxor Boxing Girls and all we need to smash the patriarchy is a pair of good boxing gloves. I couldn’t have made this project work without my two friends Marwa and Mahmoud. Marwa is a respected local hero who has earned a reputation for dressing in men’s galabeya and doing ‘men’s work’ such a driving trucks and heavy lifting. In fact, President Sisi invited her to meet with him and it was televised on national TV. She drives a van and transports the girls to and from the workouts. As for Mahmoud, he met with the girls’ fathers to get their approval and generally helps me with logistics. Four years ago, I put my belongings in storage and started traveling the world. I am a single mom and my kids were all grown up. I had raised them on the ‘mean’ streets of Los Angeles suburbia and they had made it through. I was worn out from the battles I had overcome over the years and … Continue reading Luxor Boxing Girls: How I Punched My Way Out of Christian American Patriarchy