15 Moments in 2014 That Made Our Feminist Hearts Burst With Joy

Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani child education activist who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for her work, became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. At just 17 years old, Malala has shown the world how much people can do to make a positive change, and her inspiring words continue to empower others worldwide.

Abortion is a topic that is often avoided — especially in movies and television. This year, Jenny Slate starred in the first-ever "abortion rom-com," Obvious Child, a film that not only touches on the topic of abortion but embraces the reality of its existence and instead approaches the subject head on — a far cry from Hollywood's typical way of dealing with it. Dawn Laguens, executive vice president and CXO for Planned Parenthood, weighed in:

"Make no mistake: the abortion is central to the film — it isn't incidental, and it isn't the one serious scene sandwiched between laughs. But Obvious Child isn't only a movie about a woman who gets an abortion . . . it's just an adorable, funny movie about a woman taking charge of her own future and her own destiny — and, as part of that, making her own decisions about whether and when to have children."

Columbia student Emma Sulkowicz made major waves across the US for her very vocal protest of her alleged rapist. She carried her mattress through campus to all her classes with the intention of highlighting an issue that plagues colleges nationwide and vowed to continue to haul the weight with her until the male student accused either left school or was kicked out.

That same month, California's state legislators passed the "yes means yes" bill, which requires college campuses to follow the standard of "affirmative consent" when dealing with sexual assault cases.

This year was a big year for gay rights. In October, the federal court rejected appeals from five states challenging the legalization of same-sex marriage, meaning that as of Oct. 6, same-sex marriage is now legal for more than half of the US population.

After a mass killing at the University of Santa Barbara rocked the nation, details began to unfold about the nature of the murders. The assailant's apparent motive behind the act was to "punish" women he believed were not attracted to him. The #YesAllWomen hashtag then rose from the conversation the situation sparked, and other women began to share stories of harassment and gender-based discrimination and violence. One supporter of the hashtag spoke about what it means:

"#YesAllWomen hashtag showed all women everywhere that they are not crazy. They are not alone. They are not 'dirty' or 'broken' for experiencing these things. Women are not wrong for thinking of their own safety and they are not wrong for trying to protect themselves in mundane situations."

At the Human Rights Campaign's Thrive Conference, actress Ellen Page came out in a powerful speech where she declared that she was "tired of lying by omission" and spoke passionately about that lead to the announcement.

"I'm here today because I am gay," Ellen said, "and because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility."

This year was the year that many female and male stars alike came out as proud feminists, but perhaps one of the most memorable displays of this sentiment was Beyoncé's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she displayed an iconic image of the simple word "feminist" with her silhouette standing proudly in front of it.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Joseph Gordon-Levitt got candid about what feminism meant to him and why he stands behind the word that some shy away from. Here's a powerful quote from Gordon-Levitt:

"However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique. That, to me, is what 'feminism' means. So yes, I'd absolutely call myself a feminist."

The Twitter hashtags #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft began circulating earlier this year after the release of the violent video of NFL player Ray Rice assaulting his then-fiancée in an elevator, and the hashtags encouraged honest and open discussion about rape, victim blaming, and the many layers of domestic violence.