The following is my opinion. Please do not take offense; it is presented for you to think about. Keep in mind that although I am not a "feminist," per se, I AM a woman. Therefore, I am qualified to say what I want about these topics.
Every woman is a feminist. If a woman is working for the advancement of herself in terms of education and/or her career, she is working towards the advancement of women in their respective fields of work.
If a woman wants to stay at home to raise her children, she is doing what she wants, and in turn she is promoting this right for all women.
My view on reproductive rights
Until very recently, I was undecided on whether or not I agreed with the pro-life or the pro-choice side of the agenda. As a woman, I feel it is something that I need to have an opinion about.
The fact that I am pro-choice combines my religious background, my moral beliefs, and my belief in certain American (and sometimes God-given) freedoms. To my view, abortion may or may not be a sin; it's all how you look at it, as far as that goes. I'm not a "Bible-thumper;" the Bible is not a daily guide to life because there are so many contradictions throughout it. To my mind, it can be interpreted thousands of ways by thousands of different people, and this is something that is taken advantage of, by televangelists, Catholic priests, Christian inter-faith ministers, everyone.
I was raised to believe that my body is a temple. The Catholic view of this says that, if you treat your body as God's temple, you will be rewarded in Heaven. I would rather treat my body as my own temple. Whether or not I am sent to Heaven as a result of it is up to the Big Guy. This idea sets humans up for one religious contradiction: if your body is God's temple, why was self-flagellation so popular in the past? People wanted to transcend their normal daily lives and experience the pain Jesus felt; this contradicts directly with the idea that a body is God's temple.
I would never want to kill a human being growing inside of me. The thought of it is cruel. However, as the law is right now, I am blessed with that choice. If I were a different person, and I viewed abortion as a convenient method of birth control, I would want that option open to me. Yes, the Bible says life is sacred; but not everyone uses the Bible as their religious or spiritual guide. Although the United States was founded by a primarily Christian group of people, our nation today is much more religiously diverse than it was in the 1700s. Our laws need to reflect our people.
I was raised Catholic; my family and I went to Mass every Sunday, I was an altar server for three years, I was confirmed, the whole deal. But did it really mean anything to me? I support gay marriage, I am pro-choice. If my mother knew my political views, she would freak. But that is her opinion, and she is entitled to have it, just as I am entitled to have mine.
That's the beauty of this country.
On gender equality
I saw a great poster on my neighbor's door. It is from Crimethinc's Gender Subversion Kit.
For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.
For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.
For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.
For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.
For every girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.
For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry's attacks on her self-esteem.
For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.
xo
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