little boi blue

Cis-Men Can’t Be Feminists: I’m Cisman

quigleygoesdown:

I don’t think cismen can be feminists. Feminism belongs to womyn. All power within feminism belongs to womyn.I do not need to be a face for feminism anymore than a white dude needs to be aface for black nationalism. Feminists don’t need my “male legitimacy” to be a force. Therefore, being a cis dude, I will identify myself as pro-feminist rather than A feminist.

To be completely honest this is little more than a play on semantics. Whether you identify as a feminist ally or you consider yourself to be a male feminist, it does not effect where you stand or how you effect the world around you.

Being a feminist does not make you the face of feminism. Being a Black nationalist does not make you the face of Black nationalism. It simply makes you an individual who adheres to such an ideology.

No, Feminists may not need “male legitimacy” to be a force. Black nationalists may not need “white legitimacy” to be a force either. These movements are already fully aware of the predicament that women and Black people are in. However, there are still many individual women and Black people in the world who are completely unaware of certain issues, or if they are aware of the existence of an issue, they are unaware that there is a means of changing things for the better or that there are those who would be willing to stand beside them in their effort to change things. If you are a man who is aware of feminism, or a white person who is aware of Black empowerment, then it is your responsibility to not deprive others of this knowledge. To refrain from sharing what you know is oppressive. Period.

Furthermore your argument is based on the presumption that a person who wants to be involved in a revolutionary movement also wants to be a prominent leader in that movement, to receive special attention, etc. I identify as a feminist and I seek no such thing. In fact, you seem to be the one who is doing just that. You seem to be seeking brownie points from the social justice crowd by rewording a few things with a fallacious emotional appeal, which does not accomplish anything in reality.

If you want to help, go argue with the anti-abortion crowd and help educate the masses. Fight those who wish to deprive women of the right to birth control and other forms of contraceptives. Donate your time and money to charities which provide financial support and other forms of aid to single mothers and the likes. Protest businesses and other organizations which discriminate against women. This helps.

Arguing with your own crowd over who is or is not entitled to mere labels does not help anybody. There are far more pressing issues which we could and should be discussing. Rather than telling men that they cannot be feminists, tell them that they cannot and will not be tolerated if they rape, harass, objectify, subjugate, belittle or in any way attempt to systematically oppress women or anybody else, because this is what truly matters.

The problem I see with your argument is that you’ve seemed to overlook how individuals holding privilege over an oppressed group INCLUDING themselves in the movement of the oppressed affects it.

Whether they like it or not, their thoughts and opinions will automatically be taken as more legitimate. These privileged individuals who have taken up space in a marginalized individual’s movement will have their voices heard more, and that hurts the movement of said people because now their voices have been quieted.

I agree with the OP. Pro-feminist is the way to go.

(via puerile-cur)

08/24/12

“

In many ways, feminine women are privileged in relation to masculine women; they are not privileged in relation to masculine men. Being at least a little feminine is still the norm for women. We all know what women who are not feminine are seen as: deviants. We know the concrete effects a lack of femininity has on a woman’s earning potential and on her social status in a community. The problem is: once a woman embraces femininity, society slots her into that category, and refuses to let her out. A woman stops being taken seriously, when she is feminine. She is regarded as silly, inconsequential, and not-suitable for serious work. A catch-22 therefore exists for women: refuse to be feminine and miss out on employment and social opportunities, fail to have your own ownership of your gender identity acknowledged — or be feminine and be pigeon-holed as a bimbo. Feminists fight back against the femininity paradox by simultaneously deconstructing femininity as the default expression for women, as well as defending feminine women as serious beings, equal in worth to their colleagues. There needs to be a way for feminine women to be acknowledged as feminists within the culture at large. This means expanding the definition of what a feminist is.

Hi-C Educates the Masses: Feminine While Feminist

(via verboss)

I’m by no means an expert on the dynamics of feminism, but I thought this quote was pertinent.

(via hesychia)

I love Tumblr, I love how much more eloquent people can be compared to me.

(via friendlyangryfeminist)

(via sinistraljade)

10/12/11

An Open Letter from Black Women to the SlutWalk

jalwhite:

We the undersigned women of African descent and anti-violence advocates, activists, scholars, organizational and spiritual leaders wish to address the SlutWalk. First, we commend the organizers on their bold and vast mobilization to end the shaming and blaming of sexual assault victims for violence committed against them by other members of society. We are proud to be living in this moment in time where girls and boys have the opportunity to witness the acts of extraordinary women resisting oppression and challenging the myths that feed rape culture everywhere.
The police officer’s comments in Toronto that ignited the organizing of the first SlutWalk and served to trivialize, omit and dismiss women’s continuous experiences of sexual exploitation, assault, and oppression are an attack upon our collective spirits. Whether the dismissal of rape and other violations of a woman’s body be driven by her mode of dress, line of work, level of intoxication, her class, and in cases of Black and brown bodies—her race, we are in full agreement that no one deserves to be raped.
The Issue At Hand
We are deeply concerned. As Black women and girls we find no space in SlutWalk, no space for participation and to unequivocally denounce rape and sexual assault as we have experienced it. We are perplexed by the use of the term “slut” and by any implication that this word, much like the word “Ho” or the “N” word should be re-appropriated. The way in which we are perceived and what happens to us before, during and after sexual assault crosses the boundaries of our mode of dress. Much of this is tied to our particular history. In the United States, where slavery constructed Black female sexualities, Jim Crow kidnappings, rape and lynchings, gender misrepresentations, and more recently, where the Black female immigrant struggle combine, “slut” has different associations for Black women. We do not recognize ourselves nor do we see our lived experiences reflected within SlutWalk and especially not in its brand and its label. [READ MORE]
This is the best - most thorough- critique that I have read about the SlutWalk. It fully addresses the concerns that I have been struggling to verbalize. Should be read in its entirety.

(via phdreamsanddenials)

09/26/11

knowhomo:

LGBTQ* Spoken/Written Word Artists You Should Know

Alix Olson ”Eve’s Mouth”

Now, we’ve got Cinderella, she’s chilling at home
quite content with being alone.
She is playing with the mice and singing with the birds and they’re the only ones who ever heard these words.
She said “I’ll get in the damn pumpkin. Do it all right,
weep and lose my slipper, freak out at midnight.
But there’s one thing that the prince might not like,
it’s the Fairygod I’m after.
I’m a dyke.”

Now we’ve got Rapunzel, she’s chilling in the tower, waiting for the handsome prince
she’s sapped of all her power.
Finally, one day, the handsome prince in town
called up to Rapunzel, “Yo girl, let it down!”
But our dear Rapunzel was nowhere to be seen,
yes our dear Rapunzel had learned something keen.
“All that time alone kinda taught me how to cope,
so I shaved my head and I made me a rope!”

249 plays

09/17/11

thought-emancipation:

[TW TALK OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE]Bibi Aisha, shown here in 2010, lived in a women’s shelter in Kabul for several months after her husband cut off her nose and ears. Women who flee domestic violence in Afghanistan are often imprisoned.

Kate Brooks (What War Looks Like)

It’s absolutely atrocious something like this happens, but even more so that the victims are blamed instead of being helped. I would say unbelievable, but it’s a shame I’m no longer surprised.

(via cuntygrrl-deactivated20111201-d)

09/15/11

“

I know sex workers with more feminism in their clit rings than you’ve got in your entire gender studies department.

Dear Coke Talk (via tahlalalia)

This is one of my favorite quotes ever.

(via handgrenade2)

This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever fucking seen. CAN I SAY THIS???

(via otaku-sex-beast)

You know, I don’t normally reblog this kind of stuff, but seriously? You win an internet, my treat.

(via permutationofninjas)

(via mrsexsmith)

09/13/11

“

The more homophobic we are as a people, the further removed we are from any kind of revolution. Not only must black lesbians and gay men be committed to destroying homophobia, but ALL black people must be committed to working out and rooting out homophobia in the black community. We begin to eliminate homophobia by engaging in dialogue with the advocates of gay and lesbian liberation, educating ourselves about gay and lesbian politics, confronting and correcting homophobic attitudes, and understanding how these attitudes prevent the liberation of the total community.

Cheryl Clarke “The Failure to Transform: Homophobia in the Black Community” (1983)

This essay was phenomenal. She gives a very severe verbal lashing to heterosexual black “intellectuals and politicos” as she refers to them as who she claims are perpetuating most of the homophobia present within our communities. she tears into bell hooks’ Ain’t I A Woman book (which hooks then responds to in Feminist Theory). I can’t say that I completely agree with every criticism she made of hooks but Clarke definitely calls for the end of bullshit, the end of black heterosexual privilege and the end of black intellectuals skipping over or completely ignoring the presence of black lgbtq individuals.

(via agradschoolbreakup)

(via black-culture)

09/10/11

stretch marks make me feel like a tiger

buunnny:

raaaawr

Rockin’ the tiger stripes proudly.

(via cuntygrrl-deactivated20111201-d)

09/4/11

“

The cultural ideals of butch are so much newer, so much more nebulous, and yet we seem to know when it’s being done well. When people speak admiringly of a butch, what I see is someone who has taken on the best gendered characteristics of both woman and man, left a lot of the stuff born of misogyny and heterosexism behind, and walked forward into the world without apology.

S. Bear Bergman

02/21/11

The Challenge to Change

Given the chance to change something, what would you do with $140?

At seven years old, Malcolm, a boy from Los Angeles, California, chose to donate it to two charities, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and the Human Rights Campaign.

A Letter From Our Littlest Champion ( L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center)

Malcolm’s mom enclosed a note explaining our tiny champion a little more:

‘To teach the importance of improving the world around him, Malcolm was given $140 to give away to the charity of his choice. After hearing a story on the radio about the mistreatment of gays and lesbians, Malcolm became both upset and curious about the issue…to help, he chose to split his money between the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.’

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone had it in their heart to follow the example of this enlightened 7-year-old?

His mother thought so. She gave us permission to use Malcolm’s story and challenged the Center to raise $27,000 in his name!

Malcolm’s contribution, regardless of how small, has kick-started a movement. Even the tiniest of raindrops can cause a ripple.

02/9/11

little boi blue

Cis-Men Can’t Be Feminists: I’m Cisman

stretch marks make me feel like a tiger

The Challenge to Change

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