Feminist Men

Here's another interesting discussion over at Feministe. She was e-mailed questions from Jim of Feminist Men and asked for responses. Here's my take on the issue:

1. What can men do to end sexism?

Men need to acknowledge their own privileged status and make the decision to consciously avoid acting upon that privilege. For instance, if you are the only man in a group of women, spend most of your time listening and learning, not talking. In the reverse situation, nine times out of ten, the woman’s voice would neither be heard nor welcomed. Look at your own experiences and realize how they would be different if you were a woman. How many times is your word accepted without question? How many places do you inhabit comfortably that other people, without your privilege, would fear. Notice how often this occurs and discuss it with other men.

2. Do men have a place in the feminist movement? If so, how do they fit in? If not, why?

Of course. They fit in by supporting women’s efforts and by providing an example of a man who acts in non-sexist ways.

3. Should men be leaders in feminist organizations?

Of course not. One of the reasons we need feminist organizations is to support the rights of women to empowerment in a world where power is unevenly distributed. Our organizations may be one of the first places any women confronts power and learns how to handle it wisely. To turn that learning experience over to men would be to defeat one of the core purposes of our efforts.

4. Can a man be a “feminist”?

No. A man can support feminism, but only a woman can be a feminist.

5. Please add any other thoughts or comments you have about the the subject of men and feminism.

We are still a long way from equality on any level in this country, so I believe it is way too early to demand equal treatment for men in the feminist movement.

This is one of the hardest issues to explain to anyone living in a privileged position: that it is not a question of everyone attaining your privileged position. In fact, we need to live in a world where nobody exercises that privilege over others. That means that each of us will have to cede some of our power.

In fact, since inequality is so rampant on so many levels, each of us will have areas of our lives in which learning to cede privilege will be our greatest contributions to a more healthy society. So while some of us will have places where our privilege is favored (women in feminist movements), all of us will have to acknowledge our un-earned power in other environments (race, nationality, abilities, etc).