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In reply to the discussion: Do you think that feminists [View all]LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)Last edited Sun Jan 5, 2014, 01:03 AM - Edit history (1)
What I actually said was: there are a few core values that are agreed on by most if not all of the different feminist groups, like this:
Equal rights and protections under the law.
Equal opportunities and equal pay for equal work.
Reproductive rights (although there are some that are anti-abortion, readily available birth control and family planning services have broad consensus across the feminist spectrum).
Opposition to rape and rape culture.
Opposition to domestic violence.
there are also many that do NOT have broad agreement, like this:
Porn
Sex work
Marriage
Parenting and stay-at-home motherhood
The role of fathers
Sexual expression
Clothing, make-up and other appearance issues
Intersectionality with people of color, LGBT and other civil rights areas.
Transgender acceptance
When people's "attitudes about it" include denying the same respect, rights and choices to other women that they demand for themselves, you're goddamn straight I want nothing to do with the ideas in question and will argue against them, "unity" be damned (eta and in that case I will also question their real commitment to women's equality). When their "attitudes about it" include outright bigotry toward transgender people, they officially qualify as bigots in my book and I want nothing to do with them. Nothing.
Here's a block of text from elsewhere on the internet. I will put it to our readers to decide if this is feminism or bigotry, and if such a person is someone they would want to be seen supporting in any capacity.
They are men with uteruses, you see, so they can get pregnant.
Can you imagine what normal people, the teachers at your kids' schools and the cashier at the grocery store and the letter carrier and the dentist, would think if they read this nonsense?
Get the wimmin's libbers to start spouting it, and you'll have knocked women's lib off the political map for the next two generations.
Because it would be too fooking obvious that we're all insane.
Here is another.
Transmagical thinking!
If a transwoman says, "My penis is female!" Then that is IT! Female penis!
See how easy that is?
(I am not making this up, there are people saying this shiz. For real.)
Do you think ^that^ moves the discussion of feminist issues forward, or backward? Is it something we ought to embrace, or eradicate? Should we welcome someone who could give voice to thoughts like that, or should we shun them? I obviously feel this is transphobia; what do you feel is the place for the above in the feminist movement? Inquiring minds want to know. Because as far as I'm concerned, it's a big fat load of unwelcome horseshit.
And yes, such thinkers exist at DU. One just got banned- again.
Among my RL friends are a couple of non op transgender. Their rights are more important to me than some people's desire for online dominance or validation.
"Attitudes" can be pretty goddamn important, ma'am.