Women have always been called names for saying no. Frigid, bitch, prude. These words are meant to shame us into saying yes. Women are supposed to be available, welcoming, obedient, and it has been the aim of the women’s movement since its inception to challenge these preconceptions, to say no to men’s definition of us. Read More …
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Veritas Liberabit Vos
I haven’t written for a while. I feel I should apologize, though that presumes I have an audience. I can say I’ve had reasons or make excuses, but the truth is I did not have much to say; or rather I wasn’t certain how to say it. Writing about gender is hard, especially when taking Read More …
Radical Feminism and Intellectual Consistency
Last week, Miranda published a barnstorming piece on the problems with the transgender movement, and offered ideas to fix those problems. In response, I offer 10 points of intellectual inconsistency I see from my own side, as a radical feminist. I have prepared these for the women who are rejecting male-centered feminism and looking for something Read More …
Pride and Privilege: How Cox, Jenner, and Mock can be Real Leaders
A few days before pride weekend, I find myself on a bench at 28th Street and the Hudson River. The sun shines beneath a patchwork sky. It is gorgeous. Two benches down sits a young transwoman of color with honey-blond extensions looking for all the world like a young Laverne Cox, I assume by design. Read More …
First in a series: feminist writings that have influenced us
From Sass: The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action Audre Lorde 1977 “I am not only a casualty, I am also a warrior.” This was the sentence, written by a black lesbian poet, that set the heart of this straight white girl on fire as a college student first reading this essay some 20 years ago. The perfect encapsulation Read More …
A gender abolitionist in a non-ideal world
It’s not an easy path to tread, being a gender apostate. As a feminist who thinks that female biology is real, that female socialization matters, but also that it is possible for male people to transition into the role of woman and therefore to live as women, I’m used to being unpopular. I’ve made my peace Read More …