I prefer the term "egalitarian". Functionally the same, but firmly places the focus on equality regardless of gender, and creates distance from the toxic misandrists who have tried to co-opt the "feminist" label.

I'm always hesitant of identifying myself as anything. I don't wanna carry a tag around, cause whenever you do, for some reason you carry the baggage of every idiot or horrible person who also identifies as that tag. I'm a vegetarian, I agree with almost everything vegans say, but damn I'll never associate with that moment cause the crazies there are too crazy.

Also you gotta understand, yeah there are some crazy feminists out there, but Feminism as a whole has become a fight for survival. If they're aggressive or obnoxious, just remember there's a first world country that's threatening their rights. They've already lost their right to abortion, and there's no saying what else they might loose. So even if you don't agree with what modern feminists say, just remember they're somewhere paranoid for their future, and you might be hearing that paranoia, not their unadulterated views on the subject.

Feminism is a social movement, made up of the practical activity of people in solidarity with each other. While centering and amplifying the voices and experiences of women and other victims of chauvinism is absolutely essential, remember that there is an incredible need to organize. Movements need people to take notes, make phone calls, promote campaigns, educate, show up to events, share our own experiences where people we care about were victims of patriarchy, and much much more.

Feminism isn't just an idea, and patriarchy victimizes men as well as women, though obviously in drastically different ways and to drastically different degrees. Ideas don't make up social movements, people do. Ideas help us name the world/the problem, which is the first step of revolution, but actual abolition of social structures takes work. Leaving all that work to the victims of patriarchy actually reinforces patriarchy.

Patriarchy and other consequences of class hierarchy are defeated by the contradictions that they create in society. A man who devotes himself to the abolition of male dominant society is the embodiment of such a contradiction. That's what we are, don't over think it. Just roll up our sleeves, listen and take good notes, offer to help organize and always center the voices and experiences of the victims of patriarchy.

I understand what you are saying, but you don't need a lived female experience to be a feminist.

I will declare you one. You are a feminist. Be proud.

So many in this thread confusing feminism with egalitarianism. We have different words for a reason.

I am an egalitarian because I believe everyone is and should be treated equally.

In shorthand, it just means you want equality. It's practical and makes sense that everyone takes this stance. We should all be feminists.

Maybe but if you forced my hand yes. The following is just my own viewpoint of feminism I have basically never interacted with literature or the community. (Yes I know I need to!)

I believe feminism is more than women's right. It's inherently the rights of everyone. The focus on feminimity I would say is because it's the largest oppressed class under patriarchy.

Women's rights are linked with trans rights because you must be able to accept the rights of whether or not someone identifies as a woman, a man, enby, or any other type of identity.

It links with men's rights because not only do men have privelage they also lack freedom of expression which also interlinks with trans rights. Men have privelage but they have also lost the right to decide the kind of man they want to be that doesn't follow within the narrow perspective of what society expects. That's harmful to both men and women.

Following in line with the last 2 it links with race because men, women, and trans people are a part of racial minorities. Inherently by treating anyone of a racial minority different you are trampling one someone's rights be they man, woman, or trans person.

That:'s just big topics without getting into parental rights, the rights of people with disabilities, immigrants, etc.

Following the you don't necessarily need to know a woman's experience to be able to acknowledge it's validity.

More than anything I think to strive for equality for everyone is feminist AF. I might be diluting what feminism is though.

I used to, but I don't think I should any more. I've been kicked out of two feminist spaces:

1. Someone said childcare is exclusively a women's issue, as in men cannot or do not help with it, and I disagreed.

2. Someone said it was hilarious that some men think there are unique challenges men face that women do not, and I disagreed.

So if 100% of feminist groups I've joined don't believe I'm a feminist, I guess I'm not a feminist. I guess you could say I failed the purity tests.

I would say yes, but the term is much less often used today than in the past and some people have very strange notions of what it means. I don't think I've ever had the need or opportunity to use it to describe myself, even though I would fit the reasonable definitions.

Yes, I'm a cis man and I am a Marxist feminist. Feminism is not exclusionary to cis men, and Marxist feminism is critical as patriarchy is a secondary contradiction that rests upon the primary contradiction of class society. Attacking sexism attacks capitalism, and attacking capitalism attacks sexism. They are connected.

Absolutely.

If you're a guy, you've heard guys talk about women when none are around. Maybe it's coworkers, maybe it's family, but the culture of misogyny is not some on-the-wane thing, it is alive and well.