People who only support straight, white women are not real feminists. This is called “white feminism.”
White feminists should not call themselves feminists, but instead should call themselves sexist, racist and homophobic. Feminism is believing everyone is equal by supporting every skin tone, sexual preference and gender identity.
If you do not support bisexual Muslim women, you are not a feminist. If you do not support non-binary Latino men, you are not a feminist. If you do not support women who get abortions, you are not a feminist. If you do not support immigrants, you are not a feminist. Feminism is inclusive, and sometimes privileged women forget the privilege they have.
Straight white men have the most privilege of any group in the entire world. They never have to endure bigotry. You can dislike a straight white man, but you cannot affect them by being be racist or sexist. Racism and sexism are institutions built by white men to bring down other races and genders to better themselves and keep themselves at the top of the “food chain.”
Because white men have not had to go through hardships based on how they look, they inherently have privilege. They can either choose to use this privilege to help people without it, or they ignore it. Privilege is something all white people have, and acknowledging it is the first step to not being a white feminist.
White feminists tend to focus on things that either only help them or don’t include every group of people. They are usually advocating for sexual equality, which is still important, but not inclusive. Sexual equality, in theory, is very important, but straight sexual equality is usually the only thing being talked about. “Free the Nipple” is an important movement, but there are bigger movements to fight for, like Black Lives Matter. “Free the Nipple” is something I agree with, but police officers shoot black people, not braless women, on a regular basis.
Equality is a basic human right that everyone deserves. People deserve the right to choose how they want to live their life without someone questioning their decisions. No woman should be questioned about an abortion she chose to have. No woman should be questioned about what she wears. No one should be questioned about who they love. No one should be questioned on how they
identify. People should be able to be themselves without the judgement or harassment of others. If your feminism doesn’t make everyone feel included and safe, it is not feminism.
Ashlon Lusk is a 19-year-old mass communication
freshman from Houston, Texas.