(no subject)

[askye]

Am I being unreasonable if I say I don't think a woman can be considered a feminist if she supports discrimination against lesbians?

I saw that someone who claims to be a feminist can't be if they support a federal ban on gay marriage, Prop 8 and other laws that would discriminate against lesbians.

But I'm being told that's just unreasonable, feminism is about ending sexism, and those issues are just about gay rights.


I'm also being told a woman can be a racist and a feminist at the same time.

Which sounds insane to me.

Comments

[twistedchick]

I agree with you. A feminist should not be opposing the rights of women, and that includes lesbians.

[askye]

I made the argument, and I truly believe it -- that you can't truly be for the equality of one group unless you are for the equality of all.

But evidentially since Martin Luther King Jr was sexist it's okay for women to be pro women's rights. Except for lesbians and bisexual women. And transwomen.

[twistedchick]

Bullshit.

[askye]

It seems I got tangled up in the comments and started addressing two different people.

But there's still the claim that feminism doesn't include civil rights, it's just about fighthing sexism, which I don't believe.

[twistedchick]

Fighting sexism *is* about civil rights, because sexism prevents women from being treated as complete human beings with equal rights under the law, i.e., men. It has been about civil rights since long before the Seneca Falls Convention called for the vote for women, since Abigail Adams told John Adams to 'remember the ladies' in his legal and constitutional deliberations, and John thought it was cute instead of taking her seriously. Equal rights for women, equal protection under the law, equal civil liberties -- this is what feminism is about. Take any of this away and what is left is no longer feminism.