There is so much awesome feminist writing online; taking it all in could be a full-time job. It’s always saddened me, though, that the vast majority of feminist-friendly content is written by women. Of course, I think women should be at the forefront of the women’s liberation movement, but I’d love to see more men jump in the ring to smash patriarchy.
So I’m delighted that pro-feminist men’s site XY Online has recently relaunched. I admire this endeavor because it’s not an attempt to take charge on “women’s issues.” Instead, the writers implore men to think about the construct of masculinity and they ways in which sexism negatively impacts both men and women. XY, “inspires men to develop respectful, trusting, and egalitarian relations with women, to promote equitable and liberatory ways of living and being, and to join with women in projects of gender equality and social justice,” in the words of founder Dr. Michael Flood.
Good stuff. Leave links to your own recommendations if you’ve got ‘em!
Another site that explores masculinity and being “a real man” from a feminist perspective is Masc Magazine (http://www.mascmag.com/). I love it.
Ugh. Link fail. http://www.mascmag.com
These are great! I got into an online scuffle with a (teenage) friend of my brother’s who thought that Onion article about Hillary as a weapon of mass-destruction was funny. We wound up having a civil discussion, but he just doesn’t get yet that as a privileged dudely type he doesn’t get to dictate the terms of a discussion of feminism or what women are entitled to or what “The Feminists” should be advocating for. I think this site will help!
Yay! This has needed to exist for a long time.
It’s very heartening to know that there are some men who are making a genuine effort to understand the whole maleness question and what it means as it plays out in society. I volunteer as a clinic escort and it’s always struck me how often the antis (male, of course) yell at the male companions of the patients to “be a man”. The construct is so peculiar. It’s exceedingly rare for someone to tell a female to “be a woman”. We are women because we’re born that way, but evidently, you have to do something special in order to earn the title of “man”-at least according to a number of right wing wackos. Maybe men would be able to relax if they were given permission to be men by virtue of their birth (or choice, I guess, in the case of trans men).
Also, why can’t men who support feminism be feminists and not pro-feminists?
This is exciting, as a feminist who happens to be male!
Will definitely give it a look.
Another feminist male.
@ Mischief Manager:
you said:
“Also, why can’t men who support feminism be feminists and not pro-feminists?”
I’ve recently gone through this (deciding whether or not I liked the label of “feminist” for myself).
I came to the conclusion that I’m not a feminist, but rather a “feminist cheerleader”.
Without having read oodles of books on feminist theory, it seems to be that feminism is essentially about women redefining women’s role in society–something I think men shouldn’t do.
Also, “feminism” is hardly a monolithic school of thought–there are some opinions that I hold (along with some feminists) that other feminists disagree with. I’m not interested in defending (to a woman) what feminism is or is not.