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Culture_Voyeur
Culture_VoyeurWednesday, September 23, 2009 at 9:56:00 AM EDT
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The ultra-conservative Family Research Council held its 2009 Value Voters Summit over the weekend, and it was the event of the season for homophobic, racist, and sexist activists. The event has actually been garnering a lot of attention for its session, “The New Masculinity,” a workshop dedicated to affirming heteronormativity and debunking feminism. The news media woke up when Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) chief of staff, Michael Schwartz, stood up and claimed that “all pornography is homosexual pornography.”
Mr. Schwartz’s comment is completely ridiculous and unfounded; however, I’m actually more interested in the workshop’s original premise. According to the Value Voters Summit’s agenda, “The New Masculinity” set out to discuss:
“Feminism has wreaked havoc on marriage, women, children and men. It is time to redress the disorder it has wrought and that must start with getting the principles and ideals for a new "masculinism" right. Such a "masculinism" will have its dovetailing counterpart in a new "feminism" for they mutually define each other and, in nature, are meant to be complementary.”
While this plenary is sexism in its most extreme form, it is yet another illustration of the backlash to feminist ideals that arose long before we even heard of an Equal Rights Amendment. And unfortunately, it is men who seem to fight feminism the most (although many women have done their fair share of feminist-bashing).
I am a feminist. I have identified as a feminist for over five years now. And in those five years of exploration and discovery, I cannot understand why men – both queer and straight alike – are so opposed to this concept of equal rights. bell hooks perhaps said it best when she declared, “feminism is for everybody” and hurts no one.
A lot of my gay male friends do not understand my passion for feminism, seeing the movement as not benefiting them whatsoever. Sadly, that is exactly the type of attitude that often hurts progressive politics the most. LGBTQ people don’t see how immigration affects them; people of faith don’t understand how economic justice helps them; and so on. Not only do I think feminism is just and right, but by being a part of a movement that fights for equality, I will ultimately benefit personally as the playing field is leveled.
The fact that many male-bodied individuals, in general, view feminism as the enemy doesn’t surprise me but also makes me wonder what they’re so afraid of? In the 1980s we saw the rise of the “men’s movement,” which – in my humble opinion – was started to oppose feminism. Sure, they argue for legitimate causes (such as paternity rights), but I for one could never feel connected to a social network due to what I see to be overt homophobia and sexism. But maybe that’s why other men have difficulty relating to feminism. Perhaps they see feminism as overtly anti-male. Even the segment of the men’s movement that sympathizes with feminism identifies themselves as “pro-feminist,” when in fact we can all just be feminists!
“The New Masculinity” shows us that while fighting against LGBTQ rights, immigration, and universal health care are the primary wedge issues of the religious right, something as basic as gender equity – not just the abortion debate – continues to fly closely under the radar. And while even the most staunchly conservative people in America can understand the need for racial equality, the fact that “feminism” remains such a dirty word should reignite our efforts and reach out to previously untapped allies. Namely, the men who are afraid of the consequences.
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by Anatic09
How much more patriarchal do they want this country to be? Do they want to go back to Hamurabbi's laws?
Thank you for calling bs, and keep rocking the casbah.