In honor of Women’s History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Chicago-based gothic synth-pop artist Madame Reaper (aka Kira Leadholm) shares her essay, ‘Not Your Mother’s Women’s History Month,’ about how artists, music fans, and everyone else should step up in this moment, as a part of Atwood Magazine’s Women’s History Month series!

Built on the fictional backstory of a murderous strip club owner, Madame Reaper sets herself apart with a unique blend of gothic synth pop, glam rock, and electronic indie. She has quickly garnered a growing following through explosive yet enigmatic deliveries both in the studio and on the stage. She has received two music grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and was the first runner-up for best pop artist in the Chicago Reader’s “Best of 2024” list.

Madame Reaper & the Gentlemen’s Club’s second album, ‘This is an album because the industry says it’s not,’ is set to release April 11, 2025!

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NOT YOUR MOTHER’S WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

how artists, music fans, and everyone else should step up in this moment

by Madame Reaper

This is not your mother’s Women’s History Month.

Tens of millions of married women and trans people could face barriers to voting pending national legislation. Men who probably don’t know where the clitoris is are trying to dictate what women do with their bodies. I made a last-minute appointment to replace my IUD because I’m not sure how much longer I’ll have that option. Your mother was probably protected under Roe v. Wade.

Had I written this essay a year ago, I would’ve talked about how 99% of the nasty comments I get online come from men. Maybe I would’ve used the way the internet treats Chappell Roan as a vehicle to critique double standards in the music industry. I might have even waxed poetic about female musicians that inspire me.

But those points — although important — seem insignificant compared to what we’re up against now. And frankly, focusing on Women’s History Month as it pertains to music without acknowledging the broader picture feels pointless. So instead, I’m going to talk about what we can be doing right now to help, starting with intersectionality.

America is experiencing a fascist, Nazi coup, and it will affect each and every one of us, woman or not.

To illustrate, I’ll borrow a point that my state representative made at a recent community meeting: women’s rights are trans rights are immigrant rights are human rights. Right now, the Tr*mp administration is heavily targeting immigrants and trans people — arguably, the most vulnerable among us. This is textbook fascism, and it sets the precedent of using identity politics as a means to seize control. The administration will not stop here — they will use identity politics to disenfranchise anyone deemed part of the opposition. That includes people of color, Democrats, progressives, low-income folks, people living in other countries, of course, women; the list goes on. They’re even going after far right pundits who fall into these categories. Unless you’re a rich, white man who’s willing to lick Tr*mp’s ass, you’re not safe. And even then, you’ll probably end up getting oral herpes.

While I’m on the topic of intersectionality, I think it’s critical to acknowledge that pre-Tr*mp America didn’t work for most people. It was riddled with issues as a result of being built on slavery, genocide, oppression, and colonialism. And in many ways, it’s our troubled history that landed us in this situation. Rather than trying to return to “normal,” we must triage the situation by addressing Tr*mp’s most nefarious actions (or better, get his orange ass out of office and into prison), and then we must take this opportunity to reflect on how we ended up here and try to address the root problem.

But how the hell do we do that? To start, we must recognize the importance of unity. We must protect those who are suffering because soon, we might need someone else to protect us. As Martin Niem Niemöller, a one-time Nazi sympathizer who became an anti-Nazi activist, put it:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”

We must be empathetic with one another. If you haven’t picked up on it so far, I’m pretty f*ing leftist. But I accept that progressives have to work with centrists and everything in between because infighting will continue to paralyze the resistance. And this one will probably ruffle some feathers, but we must welcome ex-Republicans and even ex-Tr*mpers who are becoming disillusioned with the administration. I would not have said this a year ago, or even three months ago, but we have to remember that people who disagree with us aren’t always evil. Like ours, most of their opinions are a product of suffering under late-stage capitalism. It’s a lot easier to change one’s mind when you’re empathetic rather than stubborn.

Second, every single one of us needs to stay involved. If you’re American and if you’re able, that means calling and writing your reps (it takes five minutes), protesting, volunteering, donating to organizations that are fighting Tr*mp, phonebanking, and keeping yourself informed. I recently saw someone online say “if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention,” and it’s that uniquely American apathy that will ultimately be our downfall. If all of that fails, we’ll kick it into third gear.

If you’re not American, understand that 75 million people voted against Tr*mp. That’s around double the population of Canada. Tr*mp’s actions on the world stage are making fast enemies, but we can’t allow that to drive a wedge between the Americans who want to fight and our country’s once-allies.

And as artists — because after all, this is a music publication — we can use our platforms to spread awareness. If you’re worried about alienating fans or pissing off your label, think about what’s at stake: if we don’t fight hard, we may end up with a country that severely limits artistic expression. In that scenario, I’d wager most artists would be out of work.

I won’t be too prescriptive on how to use your platform, but here are some suggestions:

• Choose a few issues you’re passionate about and use your social media to spread awareness of them. That might mean educating people with vetted information, sharing a personal story about how something affected you, or posting about protests. For example, several of my artist friends in Chicago have been posting ICE sightings throughout the city to help immigrants evade deportation.
• Make protest music. That shit can have a huge impact on public opinion and can even have a hand in changing laws.
• If you’re able, consider hosting charity shows or donating revenue from your merch sales to organizations fighting Tr*mp. I know that one’s hard to digest when we artists are lucky if we end up in the black, but even donating a few dollars can make a difference.

If you’re a music fan and you see one of your favorite artists engaging in the above, support them!

I won’t sugarcoat it; this Women’s History Month is bleak.

But things will continue to get a lot bleaker a lot quicker if we don’t fight. Protect your friends and neighbors, empathize with people who are different, join the resistance, stay informed, and if you’re an artist, use your platform. Be f*ing angry, and then channel it into doing something productive. No one is coming to save us; we have to save ourselves. – Madame Reaper

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