Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca WAR OF THE WORDS ¢ War of the words: Male feminism ¢ Text me first dangit ¢ Tarantino's time is up e ...and more! “Not All Men’ » The problem with male feminism Jessica Berget Opinions Editor Originally Published October 13, 2017 n the midst of October and with Halloween coming up I thought I'd talk about the three things that scare me the most: Snakes, spiders, and male feminists. Asa woman and a self entitled feminist killjoy, there are few things that irk me more than seeing a movement that advocates for women’s rights and freedoms being discussed by a cisgender, straight, white male, or any cisgender male for that matter. Male feminists should know that men have the power dynamic over women in any situation because we live in an inherently misogynistic society. Even, sadly, in feminist communities. This means that opinions on feminism and how women handle their oppression are often taken more seriously coming from that of a man than of a woman. Some male feminists utilize the label to justify sexist behaviour, to impress women, or to use the attention of women as a seal of approval in the feminist community. Which brings me to my main point: Beware male feminists. It seems women can't escape oppression even within their own movement. Men advocating for basic women’s rights are often seen as more remarkable than any woman who calls herself a feminist, as any woman advocating for their own rights is not seen as unusual or significant by virtue of their gender. Across all social movements, the issue at hand is often not viewed as valid until it is supported by members of the “other side.” Men speaking on feminism would be like me, a white woman, speaking on the Black Lives Matter movement. I support it, but it is not my place to speak on the experiences of black men and women living in an inherently racist and Eurocentric society. | recognize my privilege as a white woman and I understand that my opinion may be more highly regarded on the matter, therefore I do not speak for it. So why can’t male feminists do the same? Calling yourself a feminist does not mean the work is done. I myself am constantly re-educating, and re- evaluating my place in the feminist community and recognizing my place and privilege in it as a white woman. Similar to how men advocating for women’s rights gives more attention to the movement, women who dismiss or belittle feminism can be used to justify the sexist beliefs of others. Many men only respect the views of women when they are passive and non-controversial, or when they support their sexist ideals. They don’t respect when these views challenge them on their behaviour. Most men only respect and agree with the arguments of another man, as the opposing opinion of a woman is seen to hold less value. She is always presumed to know less about the subject, even when it is directly relevant to her experiences. So women, heed thy warning. Beware men who tell you what it means to be a feminist. Beware men who read this article and insist that “not all men are like that.” Beware men that think they know more about feminism than you do. A man is never more potentially dangerous than when he claims to bea feminist. Not for men >» Anti-male rhetoric is too common in feminist communities Jessica Berget Editor-in-Chief he debate crops up every year over the month of June and throughout the summer as Pride events are held around the world— do cops belong at Pride? To say it’s a contentious issue would be an understatement. If you have an opinion it’s bound to bea strong one, and fora while I had of a sort of pan-inclusive opinion. Everyone should be at Pride, right? Pride brings people together! What could possibly be a more powerful symbol of how far we've come, a nice bridge between two communities with a tumultuous history, than cops marching in uniform with Pride flags draped over police cruisers? The fact that I’m white should really go without saying at this point, but it bears noting. Iam mostly cis-presenting (if clockably queer) too. These intersections of privilege mean that I can write about “my” community having a “tumultuous history” with cops without a second thought. “My” community—cis- presenting white gays—are rarely, if ever, at risk of abuse by law enforcement. For many 2SLGBTQ+ people however, police oppression and brutality are absolutely still present realities, not just bygone notes in history—yes, in Canada, and yes, in Vancouver. As outlined in an excellent feature by our Opinions Editor Jess Berget, Pride itself began as a riot against police abuse spearheaded by trans women of colour. Despite this, people of colour on the whole and trans people of colour especially have had to fight to have their voices heard and respected within 2SLGBTQ+ spaces, with the viewpoints of white people largely prioritized. People of colour have made their discomfort with the presence of uniformed police officers marching in Pride known over the years, for obvious reasons. On a global scale, one does not need to look south of the border to find examples of institutionalized police violence against Black and Indigenous people (as just one case study, | highly recommend listening to Canadaland’s Thunder Bay podcast). Here in the Lower Mainland, our local Black Lives Matter branch protested Vancouver Pride until the organization scaled back police presence in the parade. “Asa [Black] queer person in Vancouver, I have never felt that there was an event that felt good or safe for me to go to,’ said one of the protest organizers, Daniella Barreto, to the CBC back in 2017. “We don't feel safe in a parade that celebrates a violent institution that consistently contributes to violence against [Black], Indigenous, and people of colour.” Barreto’s concerns aren't unfounded. BC Premier John Horgan himself expressed concerns last summer about the VPD’s “street check” records, which showed that police disproportionally targeted Indigenous and Black people. Pride is also meant to be inclusive of sex workers, another marginalized community with a significant crossover with gay and trans communities that the police often target. If the marginalized people Pride is meant to celebrate aren't able to attend Pride for fear of encountering an institution with an ongoing track record of harassing them, then what exactly is the point of Pride in the first place? IT understand the instinct to think of Pride as some kind of healing trust exercise where we all join hands and forget our differences. However, the problems of police harassing marginalized communities won't be solved by ignoring the safety and comfort of people of colour so a uniformed cop can get a photo op—and for the record, it’s not as though individual cops out of uniform and off-duty are banned from the celebrations. Trust has to be earned, and trust cannot exist without choice. A good way to start building that trust would be to respect the boundaries of marginalized people when and where they are placed.