"Why I am a Feminist"

I’m a man, and I’m a feminist. Not only do I perceive no contradiction there, but I cannot understand how it should be otherwise. Let me explain what I mean, starting with a simple definition. Dictionary.com is not considered a feminist (much less a radical) resource, and its first definition of feminism is: “The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” It’s tempting to say it would take a Neanderthal to disagree with such a doctrine, but that would be an insult to Neanderthals!

I perceive the essence of feminism to be a logical expression of our Enlightenment-democratic / egalitarian impulse. To paraphrase Jefferson, we hold this truth to be self-evident: that all people are created equal. The fact that our Founders were inconsistent in their application of this principle has not been an argument against it, but rather it has been an incentive to realize its full unfolding (a fact not appreciated by those who ungratefully bask in emancipations painfully secured for them by others).

I believe that, to paraphrase MLK, a threat to freedom and dignity anywhere is a threat to freedom and dignity everywhere. From Blacks to Womyn to Queers, groups historically disenfranchised by “The Man” have struggled to acquire the “Rights of Man”—which is to say their human rights (thus I justify the paraphrasing of men here). And recognizing that the smallest minority is the individual, I affirm the rights of minorities not just as a matter of fairness—although it is that—but as a matter of self interest.

And that is why I am a feminist.