Some thoughts on feminism; feel free to interact/disagree (this esp. goes for trans women & members of other groups I don’t belong to, esp. if there’s an issue w/ how I represented sth that concerns you). Do not feel free if you think transmisogyny = a positive force for women’s liberation.
As long as there is systematic misogyny, I think there is value in having a movement w/ the specificity of prioritizing women and women’s issues. Related to that, I think it might be better if feminism was more widely understood as a component of a broader gender liberation movement (as opposed to absorbing all gender liberation within itself, e.g. that of nonbinary people as a broad category). This of course isn’t to say that, for example, feminism shouldn’t seek to be inclusive of and promote the liberation of all nonbinary people—all liberation-based movements should seek to combat all forms of injustice where they can. However, feminism was constructed around women and womanhood. It was not created for nonbinary people as a broad category (it ofc wasn’t created w/ nonbinary women in mind either). So there are many ppl for whom liberation wrt gender cannot best be served solely/primarily by feminism. To restate, I both feel that feminism’s specificity remains useful and that feminism should care about said ppl’s concerns, but it cannot be the primary tool wrt their gender liberation (and should not be represented as such).
I also think the focus on women within feminism shouldn't (but currently, often does) = an assumption that gnc cis men are consistently afforded privilege over gnc cis women on the basis of gender. I don’t feel said assumption of consistent privilege holds true, considering that gnc men tend to be viewed as more predatory compared to cis gnc women, are more targeted/visible as objects of derision compared to cis gnc women, and are viewed as failing the “manhood” which might otherwise have been a relatively reliable place of privilege.
So, there's an issue w/ significant parts of the feminist movement behaving as if women have a near-monopoly on gendered oppression & discrimination. Specifically, due to transmisogyny, this means behaving as if cis women have a near-monopoly on gendered oppression. Cis white, more well-off women's voices have so often taken precedence, to the observable detriment of women facing worse. (@deerg1rls was talking abt this recently; the thoughts throughout this post were partly prompted by her posts, which isn’t to suggest she’d agree w/ this post.)
Personally, if we ask whether feminism as a movement has helped women, I’d say yes.
BUT if we ask whether feminism as a movement has harmed women, I’d also have to say yes (but not in a lot of the ways conservatives might argue it has), esp. wrt groups such as trans women, women of color, poor women, sex workers, etc. This yes carries no less weight.
So I personally see usefulness in feminism—I think it has been used for important gains wrt women’s rights and self-realization. But I don’t think it’s inherently good as a movement; it’s something that can be used for good. Sadly, it remains that it is also continually & unceasingly utilized for harm (that I can’t trust feminist blogs on this website w/o searching “trans” on them is just one proof of this). It should not be shielded from critique wrt its harms.
My loyalty is not to feminism, which is a strategy rather than the goal. It’s one of the tools that can be used to advance the liberation I do care about. Like many tools, it can be used for very different means and effects. So as a tool, it is not inherently safe—I think to at least some extent, this is the case for many movements, irrespective of the original intentions in their formation.
It’s more than understandable that many have no positive feelings towards said tool bc of issues like those discussed here.
Trans women in particular have been so loudly, openly and unrelentingly targeted, dehumanized, and otherwise betrayed within the movement—even while making great contributions to feminism. Feminists must do much better wrt valuing their voices + caring abt their safety. It must also be understood that trans women w/ no ties to feminism did not betray it; it betrayed them.
