On men declaring their personhood
Many people who have talked to me about this project have asked if there is a place for men in it. So here is my (somewhat lengthy) response:
This project is not specifically for women! It is for everyone who trusts and respects every human’s rights to their own decisions and bodies, and everyone who is outraged by our culture of disrespect for the living. There are many things I love about woman-centric environments, and I have deep pride in and love for my identity as a woman. HOWEVER…when we build our movements exclusively around identity, someone will be left out, and we will ultimately either have to exclude them, or twist and stretch our movement in ways that might not feel natural. I never want to alienate any person who wants to be my ally, whether they identify as male, female, cis-gender, trans-gender, or anything else.
The community I am attempting to create in this space is one not joined by identity, but by experience, empathy and emotion. So many men are affected by systematic injustice, and the heterosexist patriarchy oppresses all of us, albeit to different degrees. While I do not seek to equate different forms of inequality or different marginalized identities, I do believe that our own experiences with inequality can position us to be good allies to others facing an unjust system.
In my version of the revolution, there is a place for anyone who is thoughtful, respectful, and never seeks to replace my voice with their own. Men, I invite you to declare your personhood and your ally-ship! I will fight you if you try to speak for me, but welcome you if you speak alongside me.
-Julia
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azspring reblogged this from alreadyborn and added:
My awesome Oberlin friend Julia started a really important blog. Also, girl can articulate some inclusive revolution....
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alreadyborn posted this
