Search results for: masculinity
For Those Who Do Not Want a Trump Presidency – This Is What We Will Do Now
What are we going to do with Donald Trump as president? It may feel hard to find answers – so here’s an honest, compelling take.
Read MoreWhat Gender Means to Me As a Married Man Who Likes to Wear Women’s Clothing
“I never felt like ‘one of the guys.’” One man’s story of being trapped between traditional masculinity and femininity – and finding freedom beyond the gender binary.
Read MoreYes, I Chose to Be Queer – I Was Not Born This Way, And Here’s Why That’s Okay
“Being gay is not a choice.” It’s a common refrain in support of LGBTQIA+ rights – but what is it really saying about queer identity? This insightful perspective might surprise you.
Read More4 Ways Feminism Has Empowered and Liberated Me as a Trans Person
Feminism hasn’t always been inclusive, so transgender folks who are frustrated with feminism have valid reasons. But if you want to know what a positive experience for a trans feminist could be like, look no further than this article. This author shows how valuable – and life-changing – a trans-inclusive feminism can be. This is how we want our feminism to be.
Read More3 Reasons Why Saying ‘Real Men Don’t Rape’ Reinforces Rape Culture
We’ve heard “real men don’t rape.” But the men who have raped are indeed very real. Learn about the dangerous myths we keep up by saying “real men don’t rape,” and let’s rethink our anti-rape campaigns.
Read MoreMonosexism: Battling the Biases of Bi/Panphobia
Typically, we only discuss sexism in terms of gender, but it also has applicability to biases related to sexuality. Monosexism is synonymous with bi/panphobia in many ways because it perpetuates the myth that a person can only truly be attracted to one gender. But someone’s sexuality is not a tool for you to reassert your own social legitimacy at the expense of others.
Read MoreHow Feminism Helped Me Understand And Heal From My Abuse
Through my Women’s Studies courses and readings, I’ve come to better understand my abusive boyfriend and what was behind his emotional and physical violence toward me. Most importantly, I was reassured that his actions were not my fault, something that I struggled with during and for a time after the relationship. And it has been such a relief knowing I’m not the only one who has been through this. (Trigger Warning)
Read MoreAwesome Images of Queer Women in History
It’s so revolutionary to see loving and joyful images of queer women—especially when they are a part of a historical archive. It is an empowering reminder that, in spite of the homophobic misogyny our elders and chosen ancestors had to endure, they still fell in love, created art, marched the streets, and built community with each other. Check out these photos.
Read MoreWhat Is Patriarchy (And How Does It Hurt Us All)?
The patriarchy harms all people, regardless of gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation, by perpetuating oppressive and limiting gender roles, the gender binary, transphobia and cissexism, sexual assault, and the political and economic subordination of women. Watch Marina Watanabe discuss the pervasive and intricate ways patriarchy violates us all.
Read More5 Ways To Create a Femme Friendly Workplace
There’s a myth is that if you have enough women and femmes in your organization, your organization is automatically not sexist or femmephobic. This is absolutely untrue, especially if the only way for women and femmes to get ahead is to emulate men and masculinities. When I talk about femininity and masculinity I am talking…
Read MoreWhy I’m Non-Binary, But Don’t Use ‘They/Them’ Pronouns
Are they/them pronouns really “gender neutral” for someone who’s always been read as a fat, Black woman? These are important layers for the conversation on gender identity.
Read MoreWhat Calling Women ‘Crazy’ Really Says About Femininity and Mental Illness
How many times have you come across descriptions of women as “hysterical,” “too emotional,” or “crazy?” Marina Watanabe has a really good point about the impact of this.
Read MoreNot Everyone’s as Ripped as Ken – Why These Toys Need a Body Image Makeover
Barbie’s updated to show girls they don’t have to be white and thin – but what about toys created with boys in mind? Here’s why they need healthier body image, too.
Read More11 Assumptions About Being Butch – And Why They Need to Stop
Have you made any of these assumptions about what it means to be butch? They’re way too common – and you might not realize how much they recreate patriarchal thinking. It’s time for a reality check.
Read MoreWhy We Need to Stop Policing the Gender of Men Who Like ‘Feminine’ Things
Jaden Smith sometimes wears so-called “women’s clothing” – and the people criticizing him for it have gender all wrong. Here’s Kat Blaque with an explanation that will help you get it right.
Read MoreDo You Know All These Prefixes for Sexual Identities?
Heterosexual, bisexual, pomosexual, demisexual… There are more prefixes to describe us than you might think. Which words, if any, describe your identity?
Read MoreBlack Folk Don’t: Do Feminism
There exists a prevailing sense that feminism is a (straight, cis, middle class) white woman’s game. As such, another fairly common notion is that black folk don’t do feminism. Check out the perspective from dozens of black feminists about the truth (or lack thereof) behind this notion, its implications, and its effect on the movement within black communities.
Read MoreAn Open Letter to My Transgender Brothers
I write this to speak to transgender men who love, desire, and have sex with other men (cis and trans). I write to you with a request. It is not common to discuss the homophobia that exists within our trans men and queer boi communities, especially among those of us who are of color. So brothers, please let’s talk about it now before it’s too late.
Read MoreI Was Raped By a Woman (And Then Dated Her for Two Years)
(Trigger warning: rape.) Like most college freshmen, I drank too much. And one night, I drank too much and was pitched out of a frat house in the dead of winter. I woke up in my lofted bed. My clothing was on the floor, and I felt an invisible miasma of shame engulfing me. And my coping mechanism was to make my rapist my partner, giving purpose and intent to something horrible.
Read MoreConfessions of an Ex-Loophole Woman
Growing up, it didn’t take much for me to realize that power lay in the masculine. There was power in being one of the boys. And I wanted in. It’s no wonder why some women trade in their womanhood for a piece of the golden ticket to ride along the manhood train of success. And in doing so, these women cut themselves off from the rest of womankind. They become the exception – the loophole women.
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