What I Care About

I have Faith in Feminism.

I am the raging feminist in any given group. You can count on me to call out every patriarchal macroaggression at the party, to go into what is now a well-rehearsed rant any time someone says “grow some balls”, and to beat the dead horse when it comes to whether or not Vice President Pence should have lunch with a female colleagues without the presence of his wife. I can’t tell you the number of times a friend has rolled their eyes I break down the reinforcement of the gender binary, or how many times I’ve heard, “Here she goes again,” as I complain about the toxicity of masculinity in our society.

Feminism to me is not merely the belief and activism for gender equality, and gender equality is not only the belief that women should be afforded the same privileges as men. Feminism to me, is the belief that every marginalized group deserves to have their voices heard, and receive the same benefits that the majority receives. The fight for gender equality means relief for all women from the misogynistic cultural and political systems in which we are rooted, and relief for all man from the pressures of a violent, suppressive, hyper masculinity.

I won’t shut up. I’ll continue start conversations, not at the right time, not in the right place, and not on a popular topic. And some people around me will probably continue to roll their eyes, and turn their heads. But I won’t stop talking until running “like a girl” is considered as a complement, until the phrase “man up” is replaced by “be strong,” and until Mike Pence having lunch with a female colleague is viewed the same as Mike Pence having lunch with a male colleague. I have faith that efforts in the name of feminism will one day bring about this equal culture that we long for and desperately need, but we have a lot of work to do before that day can come.

~Maggie Cohee Nevin