NEW YORK – “Creating a better future for women means building bridges—across generations” is the introduction to this year’s group of extraordinary women leaders chosen by the editors of TIME as the magazine releases the 2023 TIME Women of the Year list.

“A defining project at TIME is the study of influence—who has it, what form it takes, and what it means to wield it. Our annual Women of the Year list examines the most uplifting form of influence by spotlighting leaders who are using their voices to fight for a more equal world,” write TIME Executive Editor Naina Bajekal and Senior Editor Lucy Feldman.

Bajekal and Feldman also noted: “The 12 women featured on this year’s list come from across the globe and have made significant impact in their respective communities and fields, from activism and government to sports and the arts. Many of them have faced immense challenges that inspired them to push for change.”

Among the 12 honorees this year is Out lesbian FIFA World Cup winner and activist Megan Rapinoe. She has championed initiatives to fight for compensation equal to that which is earned by her male counterparts and last summer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House by President Joe Biden.

To celebrate, TIME will host the second annual invite-only TIME Women of the Year Gala on International Women’s Day, Wednesday,  March 8, in Los Angeles. The event will feature appearances from Women of the Year honorees including Cate Blanchett, Ayisha Siddiqa, Angela Bassett, Quinta Brunson, Ramla Ali, Olena Shevchenko, Masih Alinejad, as well as a special musical performance by Phoebe Bridgers.

Highlights from the 2023 Women of the year: 

On Cate Blanchett: “Blanchett is aware… that one global problem connects to another, and yet another. The climate crisis, she says, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a species, and she’s alarmed by the amount of waste she sees in her line of work in particular… At the heart of that evolution is creativity, which demands building on past experience but also being perpetually open to change.” https://bit.ly/3YgKn8q 

On Ayisha Siddiqa: “For the 24-year-old Pakistani human-rights and climate defender, poetry represents hope—a way to bring humanity back into the staid, high-level conversations that increasingly occupy her time… she’s helping to create a system of support that breaks down silos between intergovernmental leaders and local activists, as well as pushing to integrate the rights of humans and nature alike into climate law” https://bit.ly/41NmlFg 

On Megan Rapinoe: “The most visible and outspoken member of the back-to-back World Cup–winning team, Rapinoe led a movement that’s been adopted by players in other countries including Canada and Spain and has inspired women across fields to demand equal pay. Rapinoe, 37, will play in her final World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand.” https://bit.ly/41Bef2g 

On Phoebe Bridgers: “Five years since she launched her career, Bridgers, 28, has a dedicated base of fans who she thinks of as being like-­minded; sometimes, speaking out on the issues that matter to her can feel like adding more noise to an echo chamber. But then there are moments like this, when she watches a young person walk away from her, led by adults who probably don’t like her music any more than they like her message. And that’s when she recognizes that her voice has power.” https://bit.ly/3SHaLHw 

On Quinta Brunson: “As a rising leader in Hollywood, she hopes she’s setting an example for Black children every­where, showing them that they can achieve their goals, no matter where they come from. And for fans of the show, she wants to underscore the value of school communities.” https://bit.ly/3y6qB53 

On Angela Bassett: “Bassett is making Oscars history after playing another kind of royal, the Queen Mother of Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, snagging Marvel’s first acting nomination…She says her experience playing characters that embody so many things at once has helped her realize it’s OK not to be everything to everyone all the time.” https://bit.ly/3IJhEUc 

On Makiko Ono: “Worth some $10.4 billion, Suntory is the most valuable company under female leadership in Japan, where less than 1% of the top stratum of listed firms have a woman as CEO.” https://bit.ly/3J57JcU 

Astha Rajvanshi on Masih Alinejad: “Exiled from Iran since 2009, the journalist and activist has long spoken out against Iran’s restrictions on women…. Her campaign alarmed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who not only rails against her in speeches but even sent his minions to kidnap her…. a similar plot was to end in assassination, according to a U.S. Justice Department indictment.” https://bit.ly/3ZdQnQD 

On Verónica Cruz Sánchez: “Over the past 18 months, Cruz, a pragmatic, fast-talking 52-year-old who has campaigned for social-­justice organizations since she was a teen, has expanded Las Libres into the U.S. After the Texas legislature passed a near total abortion ban in May 2021…. Las Libres now counts around 300 volunteers in the U.S., who have so far assisted some 10,000 women.” https://bit.ly/3xZlmEh 

On Olena Shevchenko: “Since she co-founded the Kyiv-based nonprofit Insight in 2017 to support women and LGBTQI communities, she’s become one of the most recognizable advocates in Ukraine, and has been attacked seven times in the past five years.” https://bit.ly/3IKFhvs 

On Anielle Franco: “Franco took office in January as minister for racial equality…Her task is to make sure Lula’s government delivers on his promise of equality for Black and Indigenous Brazilians.” https://bit.ly/3KNhCNy 

On Ramla Ali: “Ali, 33, won the 10-round battle against Australia’s Avril Mathie in a unanimous decision that kept her undefeated as a pro.…In 2018, she started Sisters Club, a nonprofit that offers boxing lessons to women who don’t usually enjoy access to the sport: those from ethnic or religious minority backgrounds, as well as survivors of domestic abuse. Sisters Club has expanded to four locations in London, opened a branch in Los Angeles, and will soon add another one in Fort Worth. .” https://bit.ly/3ZhZ7VZ 

LOS ANGELES – A virtual theater project featuring Black Trans women and Non-Binary and Intersex femmes sharing stories of surviving child sexual abuse and visions of healing, premieres online Sunday, November 21st.

Mirror Memoirs, a national storytelling and organizing project intervening in rape culture by uplifting the narratives, healing and leadership of LGBTQI+ Black and Indigenous people and other people of color who survived child sexual abuse is presenting a theater performance of “Transmutation: A Ceremony.”

This production features sacred storytellers Samantha Jo Dato, Ebony Ava Harper, Alexandra Magallon and Sydney Rogers.

These four Black and Afro-Latinx transgender, non-binary and intersex survivors of child sexual abuse to share their true stories of survival, and their visions of healing and the world we need and deserve, was written and directed by Luna Merbruja, Amita Swadhin, and Jaden Fields, based on the writings of and interviews with the cast members.

Cast member Ebony Ava Harper, who also serves on the Mirror Memoirs Board, remarked, “We are going deep into our childhood and revealing the intersections and the nuance that comes with our experience. And it will be an eye opening experience and a freedom experience, not only for the participants, but for the viewer. So I’m asking you to come and be a part of this family, and get your healing as well. This is a healing ceremony. And it’s to heal you as well as us.”

Cast member Sydney Rogers shared, “Transmutation is something very near and dear to my heart. It’s a project that I’ve always wanted to express and heal and speak and voice what has happened to me, what has happened to us. This project will open a lot of people’s eyes to the baggage and the healing that a lot of us in leadership roles carry around with us. So I invite you to get your ticket, sit back, and join us in this journey. And become aware of the people in your life. And maybe some things will come up for you, as well.”

Reflecting on this show’s importance, Mirror Memoirs Founder Amita Swadhin said:

‘Transmutation’ is my offering to correct for the omission of trans women in ‘Secret Survivors.’ Since the production of that show a decade ago, I’ve learned from the American Academy of Pediatrics that gender non-conforming children ages 11 to 17 who were assigned male at birth are up to six times likelier than their peers to be raped or sexually assaulted.

When you consider the US Centers for Disease Control has found that, in general, 1 in 6 boys will be raped or sexually assaulted by age 18, the reality is alarming. All of us who are committed to movements to end rape culture should be following the leadership of trans women of color who survived child sexual abuse.”

“Transmutation: A Ceremony” is inspired by the theatrical performance “Undesirable Elements: Secret Survivors,” conceived in 2009 by Mirror Memoirs Founding Co-Director Amita Swadhin, featuring Amita and survivor storytellers Gabby Amazi Callender, RJ Maccani, Di Sands and the late Lucia Leandro Gimeno, and written, directed and produced by the off-off Broadway Ping Chong + Company. 

“Transmutation: A Ceremony” was filmed in advance at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles, and will be streamed virtually on Sunday, November 21st from 2:00-4:00pm PST (5:00-7:00pm EST), closing out Trans Awareness Week. Following the performance, there will be a real-time virtual panel featuring members of the cast and directorial team. 

Tickets are free, but donations are encouraged to cover the production costs. For more information and to reserve tickets: tinyurl.com/MMtransmutation

The show, 90 minutes in length, will feature captions in English and Spanish, and the 30 minute panel of directors and cast members after the show will include ASL and Spanish interpretation and live captioning. 

This performance is supported in part by an arts grant from the City of West Hollywood, additional grants from the California LGBT Arts Alliance, Asian Women Giving Circle, Jenny Phillips Future Freedoms Fund, and Tory Burch Foundation, and donations from numerous individuals.

Mirror Memoirs, a national storytelling and organizing project intervening in rape culture by uplifting the narratives, healing and leadership of LGBTQI+ Black and Indigenous people and other people of color who survived child sexual abuse, is a project of Community Partners, a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

The project was founded in 2016, when Amita Swadhin received a fellowship from the Just Beginnings Collaborative. You can follow Mirror Memoirs on Facebook, on Instagram at @mirror.memoirs or on Twitter at @mirrormemoirs.