I am so sad that this is the direction you are seeing in feminism, Kat and Furry Girl! I have noticed just the opposite, but I suppose that is because I am more immersed in my own university organization and the movement in terms of online social media (blogs, websites, etc).

When I talk about feminism, I mean the idea that women are entitled to work how they want to work, seek and pursue and education, openly express their ideas, and ESPECIALLY to be able to express themselves sexually. And this includes watching and/or creating porn—not limited to certain types of porn either. It's about being able to fully accept and acknowledge what gets you off, whether that be S&M, mainstream, or anything in between.

Here's one of my favorite feminist blogs, if you're interested, "Hey Epiphora." She tests and reviews sex toys and porn! Very interesting, fun posts. http://www.heyepiphora.com/

Anyhow, I guess what i'm getting at is the direction in which feminism is going really depends on how you look at it and where you stand in the movement. I hadn't noticed any of these seemingly-backward changes that you're speaking of, but that may be because I am a young college student and my point-of-view is completely different from this angle. I am surrounded by other young, forward-thinking feminists, and I suppose there may be a completely different demographic segment of feminism that I have missed entirely. And if that's so, I'm really glad I have missed them because that's not the kind of feminism I'm all about, and it definitely does not feel empowering to me!

You seem like a very intelligent woman, but after reading your faq I am very confused as to how you have acquired the views of feminism that you have. I have never met a single feminist who believes that women are "feeble-minded," and I know the reason I am a feminist is because even today, in this supposedly "forward" nation, I was not allowed to join the only engineering honors society on my university campus. I do not think I am crazy to want to be able to make the same connections in the engineering world as my male counterparts. Is it not a sign for alarm when women are being denied the opportunity to join organizations to further academic success?

I started the Feminist Honor Society at my university, and in the two years we have been an organization, we have made all major-specific honor societies gender-neutral, we have raised thousands of dollars to support math and science camps for young women, and we have created a yearly need/merit-based scholarship that is awarded to an incoming female engineer.

We don't hate men at all. I love men, I just want to ensure that I am given the same opportunities as they are.

I am sorry that you seem to have had such a negative experience with feminism in your life, but for me, it has given me the confidence to be strong-headed and never accept judgement based solely off of my gender.

Also, I'm sure there are arguments on both sides of the stone, but I know that for me feminism is very much about sexual empowerment for women! I am all for what you are doing, and the sexual rights of women in general. I, for one, LOVE to watch porn (sorry if I'm getting too personal), and I completely reject the traditional idea that so many cultures (including American culture) hold that women shouldn't be able to freely express themselves sexually.

All I'm saying is, I feel like when people read the sorts of things you have written in your faq, it gives them the impression that that is how all feminists must be, and in my experience the type of woman you are describing shouldn't even be allowed to call herself a feminist, because she is pushing the rights and opportunities for women in the opposite direction.

I just wanted to share this outlook with you. It is hard enough for me to face the stereotypes that people already have about feminists, and to see a fellow strong woman perpetuating such a stereotype really hits me in the heart. :(

Sincerely,

Kristina Cobb

I just call myself anti-sexist, and fuck the feminists who think the world won't be perfect until I call myself one. (Side note, sex-positive feminists consider Dworkinites to be feminist (because they think they're for equality), yet they won't consider calling conservatives who think they're for equality because they don't want burkas, to be feminist as well.)