Negotiating feminism post transition

[sissy_bloke]

Some context: I'm not exactly "post" transition, as it's still a work in progress, but I get read as male close to 100% of the time. I grew up in a very feminist family, and spent many years living as a masculine woman and that history forms a big part of my identity. As someone now living as male, I'm having a little trouble with some of the

Comments

[youngstudlyboi]

If you believe in equal rights for women- of any variety- then yes, you can claim the label of feminist. Being part of women's space is another issue entirely IMO- more complex- but to me being a feminist fundamentally means that one believes in equal rights and opportunities for women, for the same chance that men have. Anyone can stake a claim to a belief system, as long as they walk the talk

[tamerterra]

I'm having angst about my place as a feminist percieved-as-female genderqueer person, and I'm often finding myself having to withdraw from the conversation (I have a disability that results in a lot of mental tiredness, which doesn't help). Especially with reconcilling feminist 'what is gender and what does it mean' conversation with queer and trans* 'what is gender and what does it mean?' conversation - the former tends to say that it means 'fuck all - after the revolution...', whereas the latter tends to be more complicated.

I think I've come to the conclusion, for the moment at least, that some people feel that they 'have' gender more strongly than others, and that there are a lot of social trappings placed upon whatever is actually intrinsic there. It makes my head spin trying to think about 'passing' while also holding 'but my gender identity shouldn't influence how I dress or how people respond to me!' in my head simultanously.

I shall be following this post with interest!

[eustacecscrubb]

Do I get to call myself a feminist? I hope I am, and I try to be one, but as a man, do I have the right to decide if I get to use that label?

Some people will disagree with me, but I think you are perfectly entitled to call yourself a feminist. Other people still get to call you out if they think you fall short of being a feminist, of course! And when women are the ones saying, "Hey, dude, you say you're a feminist, but you've done/said x, and that's not very feminist," I try very hard to listen before I come up with a retort (even if I ultimately conclude that they are misunderstanding something or even wrong).

If a woman says something is misogynistic, a man doesn't get to disagree, but what about the opposite? What if I think something is misogynistic, and my female friends disagree

[eustacecscrubb]

Overgeneralize much?

[tamerterra]

I raise you one post from Holly Pervocracy, on why feminism makes sex better.

[industrialdoom]

You get to call yourself a feminist. The recent feminist conversations I've been a part of or listened to have been complicating this idea of Woman being the only focus of feminism. First, which women? White women? First world women? Women born women? Patriarchy also negatively affects men, they/we have to give up parts of our bodies and potential as people for the privilege of the phallus. So, men do have a stake in feminism, and men can be feminists. More men should be feminists, actually