When women pursue excellence, we all win.

It was an extraordinary moment when U.S. gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles bowed to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade as they stood on the Olympic podium, medalists in the floor exercise. This was a spontaneous gesture of joy and respect for the accomplishment and success of a peer, another phenomenal female athlete. It was women celebrating women, generous in their accolades, happily lifting another up in solidarity and in recognition of the lifelong dedication, determination, and hard work needed to win the gold. It was moving. It was euphoric. It was real.

Yet there are men out there who cannot give powerful women like these three their due. Men like Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who could not let this stand in its glory, calling the gesture “disgusting.” This is but one example in our society where powerful women are criticized by men who cannot accept that power. Men who, in their own insecurity and rage, would strip women of our strength, of our importance, of our worth. Chiles and Biles were the target this time, Kamala Harris is next. It is time for women, and the men who respect them, to fight against this knee-jerk, cowardly misogyny. We women have the right to breathe, to be free, to be powerful, to win gold, to be president. When we fight, when we vote, women win. When women win, we all win.

This article originally appeared as a letter to the editor in The Philadelphia Inquirer.