Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey marked International Women’s Day this past March 8th with a deeply personal reflection shared in her newsletter, recalling a formative friendship with a young Iranian girl she met as a teenager and the lasting impact that moment has had on her understanding of freedom, agency and solidarity among women.
Bisbey described meeting the girl – whom she calls “Aisha” – in the summer of 1978 while attending a language program at Phillips Academy. Both girls were 15. Aisha had been sent to the United States with her brother after her parents decided Iran was no longer safe. Over the weeks that followed, the two teenagers formed an unlikely bond, exploring each other’s cultures and discovering how much they shared.
“We grew up as young women taught by our mothers that women were the equal of men, that women could do anything. We were encouraged to pursue our dreams. We both valued freedom. The freedom to choose, the agency to choose, as most important and what made life worth living,” said Bisbey.
The memory returned to Bisbey decades later as protests erupted in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, whose killing after being detained by morality police ignited a global movement led by women demanding autonomy and dignity. Thinking back to her teenage friend, Bisbey reflected on how the freedoms they once spoke about remain fragile in many parts of the world.
“On this International Women’s Day, I dance with the Iranian women who are reclaiming their agency, their right to choose,” said Bisbey. “I dance with those who fight for everyone’s right to live the way that they wish to live, with all those who are able to see difference and approach with curiosity and kindness.”
The reflection also led Bisbey to honor the women who shaped her own life – remembering her grandmother’s resilience, her mother’s strength and intelligence and the generations of women whose courage make her own freedom possible.
ABOUT DR. LORI BETH BISBEY:
Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey is a clinical psychologist, accredited advanced GSRD therapist, sex/intimacy coach, author, speaker and podcast host based in Edinburgh. With more than 30 years helping people create and sustain meaningful and exciting relationships, Dr. Bisbey specialises in GSRD (gender, sexuality, relationship diversity), is consensual non-monogamy and kink BDSM knowledgable and helps traumatised people to move from victim to survivor and back into life.
On a mission to create an open dialogue about sex, relationships and authenticity, Dr Bisbey is the Specialist Relationship Therapist on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment on Channel 4, and host of the weekly podcast The A to Z of Sex®, as well as a passionate speaker, dynamic workshop facilitator and sought-after expert in the media on the topics of sex, sexuality, intimacy, relationships and sexual trauma.
