Via Echidne, check out this hilarious definition of feminism offered by WisCon (an allegedly feminist science fiction convention):

Feminism is many things to many people, but one way to describe it is as a belief in the social, political, and economic equality of all. Feminism is part of a larger constellation of movements seeking social, political and economic equality for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, ability, status, or belief.

Notice anything? Like maybe the fact that this definition of feminism doesn’t even mention discrimination based on sex? We have “gender identity” and “sexual orientation,” which covers the GLBTQ crowd, but what about just plain old sex discrimination? Apparently, equality regardless of sex just isn’t on the menu.

Notice anything else? Like maybe the fact that this isn’t a definition of feminism at all? Feminism is a movement and political philosophy that addresses the systematic oppression of females because they are female. What WisCon is offering up instead is just a general definition of liberal social justice. Sexism isn’t even mentioned.

Imagine a paragraph like this, definining gay rights as “equality for all” with no reference whatsoever to gay people or sexual orientation or homophobia:

The gay rights movement is many things to many people, but one way to describe it is as a belief in the social, political, and economic equality of all. Gay rights are part of a larger constellation of movements seeking social, political and economic equality for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sex, creed, ability, status, or belief.

It’s fascinating the extent to which women have been shamed out of even claiming a movement to address sexism. We just aren’t allowed to have that. Too strident. Too pushy.

(And of course the people who insist on this sort of woman-free definition of feminism are typically the same people who write nonsense asking “who stole feminism?”)

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