you don't have to answer this but i wanted to ask you because your politics have shaped mine. im a radical feminist and i was wondering if this is a bad thing to be. this sounds stupid but the way tumblr makes it sound i feel like im doing wrong by aligning myself with radical feminist ideology. this is a weird question im aware but you have shaped many of my feminist thoughts regarding porn/sex work etc so i trust your judgement in a way. i dont know who else to ask.

forte-fievre-deactivated2014101:

This is a very interesting and important question. To start off, you’re not doing anything wrong per se by being a radical feminist in that you view male hegemony as the most pervasive form of oppression against women. That’s the crux of radical feminism. However, the legitimate issue that people often have with radical feminism is its a frequent expression of trans-exclusionary sentiment that isolates and renders trans people extremely vulnerable to attacks, stigma, social exclusion and a lot more that they already have to unfortunately undergo. This doesn’t speak for the entirety of radical feminism because there are many trans-inclusive radical feminists but it often is painted as a wholly anti-trans movement because of the lack of support radical feminists show in this particular case. The problem is that more often than not, radical feminists will make little effort to dispel these very relevant concerns shown by trans people.

The flip side of this, and this is where both trans individuals and radical feminists are exposed to dishonesty and violence respectively, is that cis-hetero men will co-opt this very real and very important cause of fear and pain for trans people as their own and use it to attack radical feminists who they have always hated because radical feminists have been the most vociferous in their critiques of patriarchy. This is why you will notice that, for some curious reason, many cis-hetero men will hijack the sentiment of trans people and use it to state that they will - and I have literally read these statements - kill or “beat the shit out of” radical feminists who are “cis scum bitches.” The heinous irony here is that cis-hetero men are already doing this all over the world, these were the same acts of violence that brought radical feminists out in the first place. So, it is a disgusting misfortune to see how this misogyny for radical feminists is portrayed as concern for trans individuals, which isn’t concern to begin with because the most vicious and propagated forms of exclusion and attacks against trans people are predominantly from cis-hetero men. For an even more curious reason, cis-hetero men do not pursue confrontation with their transphobic cis-hetero peers the way they hound and chase radical feminists. This does not happen arbitrarily. There is a very specific reason behind that singling down of radical feminists. The saddest part is that it completely shadows the demands of trans people.

But to your main question. Is there anything wrong with radical feminism? If the trans-exclusionary equation of the debate is handled, there’s not much wrong with radical feminism. But am I a radical feminist? No and this isn’t because I find radical feminism wrong or pointless but because I have my ideological differences as a Marxist feminist. The dual theory system in radical feminism is what I personally differ with and find that its limits are something I cannot work within. i.e. For radical feminists, patriarchy is the sole source of oppression against women. For Marxist feminists, patriarchy and the mode of production (which is capitalist right now) combine to create the condition women live under. For radical feminists, women’s oppression takes on a universalist understanding (which means, every woman goes through the same kind of oppression) but for Marxist feminists or Womanists, one woman’s oppression often differs with the other woman’s oppression. Race, class, other social factors intersect and create a dynamic where gender alone is not the source of contention.

You also might know this: Radical feminists appeared after breaking away from the New Left in the 60’s because they believed that traditional Marxist theory did not adequately address the origins, structure, dynamics of male domination and they abandoned socialism as a viable means of organizing social activism. So, Marxist feminists and radical feminists will often have long, detailed discussions over the nature of capitalism and patriarchy. Radical feminists believe that it is not capitalism that wounds women but patriarchy. Marxist feminists believe that both destroy working women’s lives. Radical feminism will often insist we look beyond class while Marxist feminists will never give in to such an idea because class is the material reality of subjugated women but also that there are indeed women who benefit at the expense of other women. So, essentially, radical feminism and Marxist feminism have a different notion of sisterhood. For Marxist feminists, the valid critique from radical feminists posed a big theoretical dilemma: How do we remain aligned with our socialism without forfeiting female autonomy and how do we remain aligned with our feminism without abandoning the critique of economic institutions? Hence, a synthesis of radical feminist thought and socialism was brought together by understanding mode of production (capitalism) and mode of reproduction (patriarchy) so we could remain together with both because both capitalism (economic structure) and patriarchy (social structure) affect us. Some marxist feminists and radical feminists agreed that capitalism is an expression of patriarchy (something that I don’t necessarily agree with). The debate continues between both groups.

Sorry for pulling you through that but it’s important to understand the qualms suppressed groups have with an ideology to improve the ideology and movement. Naturally, there is a lot more to it and I suggest that you read people like Iris Marion Young or Annette Kuhn, etc. Theory and praxis can only become better through dialogue and exchange; isolating ourselves will never help. There’s a difference between creating safe space and downright attacking someone who simply wants to understand. I think radical feminism has a very strong potential to become a more effective movement if it addresses the trans question, and I’m sure many radical feminists are doing this. What is important to remember here is that patriarchy will find a way to seep into these realms and that both cis-women and trans people are affected. An alliance between both becomes not only socially nutritive but necessary.