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Ok, so if that last bit sounds a bit ridiculous to you, you get a gold star. Yes, the definition of feminism is not universal to everyone, but in almost everyone’s minds it is the fight for equality of the sexes. Even though in many countries women and men are legally equal, there are definite inequalities there.
It’s the same inequality that means women are subtly nudged away from engineering and the sciences in education – when my lectures are filled with 120 people and I can count the number of women on one hand, there is a problem. It’s the same inequality that means that the record for the most female heads of state in the world at once was set in 2010 to mid-2012. And for the record? That number was twenty.
But let’s not get off track. This isn’t meant to be a rant about feminism, this is meant to be a rant about, uh, feminism!
Feminism itself, as a monolith, has some problems. No, these aren’t the “women should become superior to men” kind of problems, like some people seem to believe, because feminism is focused on equality. Strangely enough, wanting equal rights doesn’t mean that the oppressed automatically become the oppressor.
No, feminism has the problem that it doesn’t give an equal voice to all women, that some feminists talk over the experiences of other feminists, and in some cases even bar people from being feminists at all. With that in mind, I’d like to dispel a few myths about womanhood, being a woman, and feminism.
But let’s not get off track. This isn’t meant to be a rant about feminism, this is meant to be a rant about, uh, feminism!
Feminism itself, as a monolith, has some problems. No, these aren’t the “women should become superior to men” kind of problems, like some people seem to believe, because feminism is focused on equality. Strangely enough, wanting equal rights doesn’t mean that the oppressed automatically become the oppressor.
No, feminism has the problem that it doesn’t give an equal voice to all women, that some feminists talk over the experiences of other feminists, and in some cases even bar people from being feminists at all. With that in mind, I’d like to dispel a few myths about womanhood, being a woman, and feminism.
Firstly: to talk about women. Women are mystical creatures that, despite what certain very vocal feminists have said, don’t always have vaginas. It is deeply transphobic to tell a transwoman that she can’t be a feminist because she wasn’t assigned woman at birth. If someone identifies as a woman, then they are a woman – their genitalia are their own business. If someone is trying to define women as “people with vaginas” then they are simultaneously insulting people on the trans* spectrum and women as a whole, because (unless you have a severely warped view of the world), people are whole beings. To reduce a woman down to her genitalia is to tell her that the rest of her – feelings and experiences and opinions – are completely irrelevant.
Now, to talk about radical feminism itself. Radical feminists (as a general view, taking the RadFem 2012 conference as a general litmus test of their views) do no welcome men or transwomen into their feminist spaces. While, although personally I don’t agree with it, I can see where the “no men allowed” rule comes in (after all, I’m sure plenty of QUILTBAGs would not appreciate a cisgender heterosexual having a louder voice in queer politics than anyone else), the ruling against transwomen is ludicrous. Telling a woman who identifies as a woman and who experiences enough erasure and oppression from society already that she isn’t allowed into a supposedly safe place for women is just insulting.
Even stranger than this view is the logical conclusion that people who were assigned women at birth, regardless of whether they are a woman or a man, are welcome at RadFem – even though transmen are (wrongly, might I interject) accused of being so misogynistic that they can’t bear to live as female. Quick tip – if you believe that statement, then you need to remember that trans* people are trans* because that’s how they were born, and if you still think that it is a choice that they made then you need to either educate yourself or move rather swiftly away from Freedom Requires Wings.
So there’s the crux of the matter, dear readers. Feminism is good, feminism is great, and feminism is incredibly necessary. Feminism is not intended to be an exclusive club that you have to have permission to be in. Feminism is meant to be a movement and to provide a safe space for all women. Feminism is meant to be a movement to strive for equality for women, but also as a way of improving things for men – I often hear the argument against feminism that “men almost always lose in custody battles”, and I have to remind them that this is from the patriarchy’s view that women are the only gender that is capable of being a good parent, because we’re “better with children” or some other useless and invented reasoning. Equality is what feminism is fighting for.
But enough of that – it’s International Women’s Day – enjoy yourselves, everyone! So let’s remember a few of the amazing women that Freedom Requires Wings have written about before (and, of course, the millions of other incredible women through history that we haven’t written about). These women are:
Kathleen Wynne, the (relatively) new Premier of the Liberal Party of Ontario, here.
Dr Sara Josephine Baker, who was the first female professional representative to the United Nations, here.
Frida Kahlo, who is known as “the Dove”, from Brit’s Andy Jean hero’s series, here.
Lynn Conway, who is probably the reason you’re able to use any computer technology right now, here.
Jenna Talackova, who fought for her right to compete in the Miss Universe Canada competition, here.
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Now, to talk about radical feminism itself. Radical feminists (as a general view, taking the RadFem 2012 conference as a general litmus test of their views) do no welcome men or transwomen into their feminist spaces. While, although personally I don’t agree with it, I can see where the “no men allowed” rule comes in (after all, I’m sure plenty of QUILTBAGs would not appreciate a cisgender heterosexual having a louder voice in queer politics than anyone else), the ruling against transwomen is ludicrous. Telling a woman who identifies as a woman and who experiences enough erasure and oppression from society already that she isn’t allowed into a supposedly safe place for women is just insulting.
Even stranger than this view is the logical conclusion that people who were assigned women at birth, regardless of whether they are a woman or a man, are welcome at RadFem – even though transmen are (wrongly, might I interject) accused of being so misogynistic that they can’t bear to live as female. Quick tip – if you believe that statement, then you need to remember that trans* people are trans* because that’s how they were born, and if you still think that it is a choice that they made then you need to either educate yourself or move rather swiftly away from Freedom Requires Wings.
So there’s the crux of the matter, dear readers. Feminism is good, feminism is great, and feminism is incredibly necessary. Feminism is not intended to be an exclusive club that you have to have permission to be in. Feminism is meant to be a movement and to provide a safe space for all women. Feminism is meant to be a movement to strive for equality for women, but also as a way of improving things for men – I often hear the argument against feminism that “men almost always lose in custody battles”, and I have to remind them that this is from the patriarchy’s view that women are the only gender that is capable of being a good parent, because we’re “better with children” or some other useless and invented reasoning. Equality is what feminism is fighting for.
But enough of that – it’s International Women’s Day – enjoy yourselves, everyone! So let’s remember a few of the amazing women that Freedom Requires Wings have written about before (and, of course, the millions of other incredible women through history that we haven’t written about). These women are:
Kathleen Wynne, the (relatively) new Premier of the Liberal Party of Ontario, here.
Dr Sara Josephine Baker, who was the first female professional representative to the United Nations, here.
Frida Kahlo, who is known as “the Dove”, from Brit’s Andy Jean hero’s series, here.
Lynn Conway, who is probably the reason you’re able to use any computer technology right now, here.
Jenna Talackova, who fought for her right to compete in the Miss Universe Canada competition, here.
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