Discuss!

Sure, men can be feminists too.

Z

My mom wants me to be a feminist, but it just isn't in me. Sure, I believe in equal rights, for absolutely everyone--why would I label myself a feminist? I've got no problem with them, and I do believe that feminism has a place with FtMs (how could it not, when we've lived as females?), but it ain't for me, personally.

Yes. I think we're in a unique position to understand sexism against women and the need for feminine empowerment. We know what it is to walk the world as 'women'.

What? There's some "rule" that men aren't "true" men if they are feminists?

Although I do think that men should sometimes be excluded from womyn-space. That would include FTMs.

Nichole

I am MTF and not a feminist. Sure man can be a feminist too. Be sure that you do not forget the other side of equality.

Quote from: Nero on February 16, 2009, 09:45:09 AM
Yes. I think we're in a unique position to understand sexism against women and the need for feminine empowerment. We know what it is to walk the world as 'women'.

Exactly!

One thing I dislike about the term "feminist" is that it has so many meanings now and such negative connotations--and such specific connotations to some people when they apply it to one sex or the other.

But anyway, I'm a humanist.

As a woman, I have never really seen it as a battle between men & women anyway. But I think we're starting (in some cultures) to achieve balance. I think it's marvelous that men are starting to discover their "feminine" selves. Kind and caring men with the ability to nurture themselves and others is a major step forward in our civilization. Just like having self-reliant women is a social blessing for us all. Feminism is about the liberation of all people, not just one "side".

What Nero said.

Also, it's pretty disgusting to me how much misogyny there is within the FTM community. 

Emphatically yes!  I am generally considered to be a rabid feminist by all, and the prejudices which exist among men and women today are shameful (rant, rave!).

Another as important question would be: is there room for  masculinism in the MTF community?

'Masculinism'?  I'm not familiar with that specific term, but I see what you're getting at.  feminism exists because your so-called 'masculinism' runs the show.  So if you'd like to be a misogynist MTF and discriminate against yourself, have at it.

I was not talking about sovinism!!! You can read from wikipedia about masculinism.

Is there room for the civil rights movement in the white community?

Quote from: SomeMTF on February 16, 2009, 01:08:58 PM
I was not talking about sovinism!!! You can read from wikipedia about masculinism.

I looked it up and it's exactly what I thought it was. 

The advocacy of men's rights?  Come on. 

I think femenism is a good thing, as long as it doesn't get taken overbored. I've heard people say that if a man and a woman get into a fight and the man doesn't hit the woman back then he doesn't respect her....that's horse crap! Femenism should be about rights and empowerment, not about real differences between the sexes/genders. Besides, I wouldn't hit any girl, not even a huge body bulder type. If I got into it with a body builder I would turn and high tail my butt outa there!!!

Well, many innoccent boys are victims of violance and when they tell parents they punish them. In case we do not accept that males are humans as much as females  and deserve the same protection the speech about gender equality is irrelevant.

Quote from: SomeMTF on February 16, 2009, 02:20:56 PM
Well, many innoccent boys are victims of violance and when they tell parents they punish them. In case we do not accept that males are humans as much as females  and deserve the same protection the speech about gender equality is irrelevant.

What do you think feminism is about, SMTF? Beating up guys?

No one doubts that many young boys, and for that matter men, are abused as well as are women. Most feminists, I think, would agree that the most numerous and most harshly abused victims of the patriarchy are those males who do not conform to the stereotypes and the indoctrination.

That true, I don't see what your argument is about -- unless you simply are making assumptions based on a lack of familiarity with the texts and arguments of many feminists. Who, as Arch said above, often regard ourselves as "humanists" even more profoundly than we regard ourselves as "feminists."

But, I really don't think we need a strong movement that will see to the interests of males. Those sorts of things are almost invariably reactionary formations with reactionary arguments meant to provide red-herrings and straw-men to belabor critical renderings of the status quo. I'd have thought a political radical like yourself would see that.

Nichole

I've been a feminist for quite a few years now and was one of the factors that made it hard for me to come out as trans. Since how could I want to change something I was proud of being?

But yes for me, feminist means equality not superiority. I suppose why we use the term feminism is that its mostly a patriarchal world we live in... if it were matriarchal, it'd be masculism.