Feminism
It feels as though feminism is experiencing its 89th wave—and part and parcel of the latest dialogue surrounding the movement is what role, if any, men should play in leveling the financial, cultural and social fields.
Some believe men’s involvement in feminism should be peripheral at most; others think that because they've historically held the power and still hold most of it, men should be regarded as equal allies to women. Complicating things further is the fact that the gender binary is collapsing more and more every day.
To highlight the spectrum of beliefs surrounding this issue, we reached out to a range of voices reflecting perspectives that are historical, activist and personal in nature. From a former Jeopardy champion entrenched in male "nerd" culture, to the founder of the UN’s HeForShe campaign, to trans men and other gender writers and commentators, these contributors help open a meaningful dialogue about the controversial place of men in the movement against sexism.
Angry male nerds have built careers, epic narratives, a whole identity on being victims.
I firmly believe it is for women to define feminism—and that includes deciding what place men should or do have in the movement.
I feel that male allies are important to our movement.
This isn't about us, but that doesn't mean it isn't our fight.
Living in multiple social genders has given me tools to peek behind the curtain of society’s constructed gender binary.
For me, day-to-day feminism in action is creating safer spaces for women—the ones I know and especially the ones I do not.
We are not exempt from internalizing messages inherent in patriarchy. But I have found that we can resist and challenge these narratives.
Women's liberation and men's liberation are opposite sides of the same coin—or maybe the same side of the same coin.
We can't talk about men without talking about boys.
As a man who has benefited from feminism, I call out MRA bullshit.