"Y Feminists"

(aka, first serial post of the evening)

Okay, so yeah, it’s been done before, this whole discussion of men’s role in feminism, men as feminists, or men as feminist allies, but hey, it’s a topic worth another go…

I think men can be feminists, actually, and I definitely think they can be allies. I’ve seen examples of men in real life and here on the net who, if not feminists themselves, certainly qualify as allies or feminist supporters in my book…Jack, Anthony, Amp, so on, so forth…men who support feminists and have an interest in feminist issues. You know, I have no problems with these guys. Hell Amp has probably taken more flak about porn than I have (smirk). I think in many ways male feminists and male feminist allies are, well, good for feminism for more than a few reasons…one, they can help paint the feminist movement as something other than a proposed iron curtain of matriarchal domination (yes, I know that term is going to spin heads, but.), they prove to be good sounding boards often, and well, sometimes, shitty as it sounds, they prove to be very useful mediators between female feminists and…men. When we get Project Rogue Squadron (actual blog yet to be titled) up and running, I have no issue with male feminist or male feminist allies being a part of that. Because they do have something of import to say.

Now, I feel a little bit different about other male feminists I’ve encountered, namely those who profess to be male radical feminists or male radical feminist allies…Folks like (drum roll) Dr. Bob, Richard of Adonis Mirror, the mysterious Liberal Dood, Dim, because it seems, time and time again, these fellows, oh, talk right over women they do not agree with, presume to speak for them, empathize with them, know what’s best for them, even what they can and cannot enjoy sexually…without ever really listening to a great many, well, women. Especially those who are not radical feminists, who many of these Radical Boys hold up on high as…well, saintly…yet they still feel compelled to rush in to save their virtual virtue and tell everyone what they were “really saying”, what they “really mean”, smacking down all the pro-porn, trans, ect, ect, warlords out there, (you know, gotta defend the poor, weak woman…) all the while ignoring disagreeing women’s agency, truth, experiences, voices…and in some cases, insulting them outright and questioning their sanity…shit that any feminist who identifies as male should not be doing…you know, that whole ignoring/silencing of women and putting them down…sounds kind of…Patriarchal…and misogynistic…and martyresque to me, really. Most of us ladies, radical and otherwise, can speak and defend our view for ourselves, really…

So yeah, thoughts and musings on male feminists/male feminist allies? The fellows are free to pitch in too here (except mra’s, sorry boys, this one you are not allowed to play on).