A good (not perfect) feminist rule of thumb is that if patriarchy likes it, we shouldn’t. Which is perhaps one of the reasons why accusations of essentialism go off like a bomb. It’s true that sometimes, feminists are either or both of sex or gender essentialist. The idea that “gender is real” is probably the norm in most circles. But more nuanced arguments made by both ’sides’ can sometimes be overlooked.
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Hate men? I think more of them than you do.
I believe that men are not children. I believe that men, as a rule, are intelligent, self-aware adults who comprehend the world around them and who are capable of making mature choices which take other human beings into account. So if there’s one way in which I hate men, it’s this: I believe that male rapists and abusers know what they are doing and that they do it anyway.
ShareSafe spaces policy
1. Racism, as well as ageism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism or prejudice based on ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, gender presentation, language ability, asylum status or religious affiliation is unacceptable and will be challenged.
2. Be aware of the space you take up and the positions and privileges you bring, including racial, class and gender privilege.
3. Avoid [...]
A Feminist and the Nice Guys in Her Life
I’ve bemoaned the decentering of women’s issues in favour of the old ‘but what about the men?’ debate on this very site quite recently, so this article may seem a little strange. Bear with me; I’m definitely aiming to centre women’s experiences. More specifically, I’m proffering my own experience, as a woman, and [...]
ShareThoughts of a Man within Feminism
Term’s finished, so I’ve finally got round to catching up with all the fantastic stuff written on this site at the start of the year. This article engages with (or is at least inspired by) one of my favourite pieces – “Soul of a Man under Feminism” by A. MacDonald. I do not know the [...]
ShareLetter to the Union
This is a letter Clare Walker-Gore is going to send to the union society committee. If you are a member of the union and after the protest on Friday you want to resign your membership, please consider signing it or writing your own letter.
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Dear Union Society Committee,
I am writing to you to resign my membership [...]
Breaking silence // breaching the peace
Trigger warning: This article involves discussion of DSK protest, including stories of rape survivors and references to police violence
We fight for a small space – though it is also a big space, to hold all that it must – where our experiences are ours and are real.
As a rich and powerful man – flanked [...]
A Problem of Consent
Trigger warning: this article contains detailed discussion of the author’s personal experience of rape.
Until two days ago, I never saw myself as a rape victim. I could – to trusted friends – acknowledge and occasionally talk about the sexual assault that happened when I was an adolescent, and I was happy to make jokes about [...]
The writing on here is so powerful there really needs to be a trigger-warning system.
The creative writing on here is particularly moving and, in a way, designed to trigger, but can I put in a request that there is a consistent warning system? Personally, I feel less distressed at distress if I’ve been told in advance that I may be distressed – validates it.
Request for trigger [...]
LIBERAL ACADEMY ANNIHILATED THEORY
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Trigger Warning:
This piece references rape. Although it is in the context of someone else talking about rape, it could still be distressing to people. Any advice re. ways to rephrase this (trigger warning), please please let me know. My apologies for potentially causing distress to people in the time this article was uploaded without this [...]