Small Strokes Big Oaks

Kate Rohdenburg

Today’s post comes from Kate Rohdenburg, and is part of a Salon of blog posts asking feminists to define what feminism means to them.  You can follow Kate on Twitter, read her blog, and check out her answers to the Literacy  in the Feminist Blogging Community interview.

I think in large part feminism to me is summed up in the quote I use for my signature: —

“I’m an artist and a community organizer, and I believe in peace and love, and I believe we need to keep putting our stuff out there; it puts out the intention for a bigger reality.”
-Shannya Sollitt

Feminism is these things – art and activism, peace and love, and imagining a reality that could be while working in the context of the one that is.

Feminism is about choices, not in the sense that many modern-feminists use the term “I’m a woman/feminist therefore any choice I make is feminist”, but in the sense that we are about creating a space where choices are available and safe (even choice that may not be utterly feminist.) Feminism created choices (especially for women and minorities), but not all choices are feminist ones.

Feminism is not about including everyone, but it is about appreciating everyone; recognizing the humanity in everyone, and interacting with everyone in a way based in love and understanding – not fear and hate. An example for me is this: I do not believe that one can be feminist and anti-choice. Anti-choice is an inherently anti-woman system of beliefs that are in direct contrast to feminism. However, I don’t wish to argue or yell or hate people who are anti-choice, but to speak with them in contexts where there may be increased understanding, and disengage when there can be nothing but anger.

Feminism is a theory – one which has principles, principles which certainly not everyone adheres to, and therefore it is faulty to say that anyone is feminist. Indeed people must believe in the theory, and work towards the practice, in order to truly be feminist. There is not one way, nor one perfect representation of this, but there are some qualifications.

To read all of the What Feminism Means To Me Salon posts, click here.