“Unfiltered” is a column three years in the making. Columns are reserved for our editors in chief, so while I (only somewhat patiently) waited my turn, I went through idea after idea about how I would leverage my voice when the time came. My problem has never been that I don’t have anything to say – just the opposite. It is a well-known fact that Abby Hosler has a lot to say, and more often than not, that she could use a filter from time to time. Once the time finally came for my column, there was a lot of brainstorming and balls of paper in the recycling bin. This had always been my dream, but now that the opportunity was here, I had no idea where to start. I had a million different ideas, but no cohesive thread that connected them all. Around the same time, there was a lot circling on social media that was starting to fire me up and tons of false information being spread. I found myself creating what amounted to educated mini-rants in my attempts to help people understand the facts about complex issues, and then I had an epiphany: there is a time and place when having a filter is good, but there are other times when it’s important not to have one, especially in the face of things in our society that are unjust and wrong, and especially when there is so little understanding about what is actually happening behind the scenes. My goal for “Unfiltered” is that readers will know that when there is a controversial topic in the world that impacts them and they feel like no one sees them or is willing to fight for them, that they know that they will be able to be heard and represented within the words of my column. I myself have been the voice that felt unheard, I have seen the effects of standing up, and I have learned firsthand that there are always more people on your side than you think. This debut installment of the column is on the importance of breaking the silence that surrounds women’s reproductive health issues. Whether my ideas validate or challenge your experiences and expectations, this column will always represent how I feel, and you can take it or leave it…unfiltered.

Responses to the column to be reprinted by the Northern Light in the form of Letters to the Editor or suggestions for future column topics can be directed to [email protected].