Fresno Bee Opinion Piece Examines Definition Of 'True Feminist'

"Ever since Sarah Palin declared herself a feminist, syndicated columnists and political pundits have engaged in a commentary war about who is a true feminist and who is not," Kathryn Forbes -- an associate professor of women's studies at California State University-Fresno -- writes in a Fresno Bee opinion piece.

Supporters of Palin "and other anti-choice women running for political office have proffered a vision of 'orthodox' feminists and feminism instrumental to the architecture of their arguments but historically and theoretically inaccurate," according to Forbes. In fact, "[f]eminists may include strong women, but not all strong women are committed to creating a world that ameliorates inequality based on gender, race, class, sexual identity, and ability," Forbes writes.

"Women and men need to advocate for policies that both recognize the reality of these contemporary inequalities and [incorporate] knowledge of these inequalities into policies designed to end them and help those at risk while we are on the path to societal transformation," she continues. Palin and like-minded pundits are "bargaining with patriarchy," Forbes says, adding, "By selling out women using the language of feminism without adhering to its politics, these women gain entry [into a] patriarchal political system that continually fails to serve the needs of women and children."

For example, "[k]eeping abortion safe, legal and accessible is necessary for feminist societal transformation," but the "the continual portrayal of abortion leading to the emotional devastation of women has been an effective political tactic of right-wing conservative groups to quash pro-choice activism," Forbes states. Research shows "that the real emotional turmoil comes from not the abortion itself but is a response to the terrible circumstances in which the choice to have an abortion is made," she continues, noting that the U.S. "has failed to make a real commitment to safe and affordable child care" and that "[w]omen, especially those with children, continue to be economically marginalized [in] workplaces."

According to Forbes, "columnists and these anti-choice female candidates parading as feminists [should] follow one of the main strategies advocated by the first- and second-wave feminist movements: Get educated, listen to the majority of women living in the trenches and stop pontificating about a feminism that you do not understand and about history of which you are ignorant" (Forbes, Fresno Bee, 7/2).


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