This is why Rose McGowan’s recent tweet to Ellen Degeneres has many activists upset

Rose McGowan has been championing women’s rights for years, and — in recent weeks — her efforts have sparked what feels like a revolution of sorts for victims of harassment and assault everywhere. This cultural dialogue was long overdue and we will be forever grateful.

However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how McGowan’s recent tweet to Ellen DeGeneres unfortunately missed the mark — especially in a time when intersectional feminism is more important than ever.

Earlier this month, DeGeneres tweeted out a response to Mississippi’s recent approval of laws that allow medical practitioners to refuse service and treatment of LGBTQ+ patients due to “religious objections.”

Right now in Mississippi, gay people can be refused service, and trans people can be refused treatment. Mississippi, you deserve better.

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 7, 2017

McGowan responded to the tweet in a post of her own, writing,

"Right now in America, birth control is being taken away&abortion is almost illegal. Speak for women as well plz. Huge platform."

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/916483674811412480

Many Twitter users were quick to point out the problem with McGowan’s comment and logic.

There are gay women you know…

— InXanadu (@InXanadu) October 7, 2017

false false

She is speaking for women within that. And not just women need or use birth control or abortion services. Your white feminism is showing.

— AD (@amdrouu) October 15, 2017

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are women, and speaking out for them helps women as a whole. McGowan’s comment can easily be construed as divisive, pitting one marginalized group against another, when what we need now more than ever is a united front.

But there’s a silver lining to McGowan’s misfire. The social media response to her comment shows that many people understand that all women must be included in this revolution, and that issues affecting women and the LGBTQ+ community are often interconnected. This hopefully served as a teachable moment for both McGowan and for her followers who had perhaps never thought much about these issues.

We’re still thankful that McGowan started the conversation, and we — as an intersectional group — will keep it going.