-The opportunity to get my college degree
-The ability to sleep with whomever I choose without feeling guilty about it
-Birth control pills
-The knowledge that even though I don't look like actresses or models, I am still beautiful

And I think most of all:
-Being able to view other women with SISTERHOOD in mind, not COMPETITION

1. Strong women acters.
2. Skirts/dresses are no longer mandatory!
3. Birth control availability to single women.
4. The legalization of abortion.
5. A whole slew of excellent feminist literature.
6. Women's history.
7. Having more options than nurse, teacher, secretary, or MRS. after college.

- Buying my first house at age 23 without a man to co-sign the loan
- Having a computer programming job
- Having a female computer science professor
- Living in a red state where the one open Congressional seat is a Democrat woman running against a Republican woman. The Democrat is going to clobber the Republican.

Over the counter Plan B!

1. I can study a male-dominated field without judgment. I'm a computer science major, I have been in classes where I'm the only girl but no one has given me grief about it. Also I see more females in my classes these days, the first day of class this semester someone mentioned that about half the class were female and said it was refreshing.
2. Strong female characters. (shameless self-plug: please read my blog about women in anime in the community section.)
3. Feministing.

*All I can think of right now. I might add more later.

Here is a couple of things I would like to thank feminism for:

1)misguided feminist lawsuits and political lobbying that created the ridiculous bureaucratic action called the "1979 Policy Interpretation" of title IX that mandates that the number of athletes in college athletic programs reflect within a few percentage points the proportion of male and female students on campus and According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), for every new women's athletics slot created between 1992 and 1997, this feminist spearheaded action caused 3.6 male athletes to be dropped. Also, during that same period, colleges added 5,800 female athletes--and cut 20,000 male athletes according to the NCAA. I just want to thank radical feminists and there lawsuits for turning Title IX from a vehicle to open up opportunities for women to a scorched earth policy whereby the destruction of men's athletics has become an acceptable substitute for strengthening women's athletics. Good job, feminism!

2) I would like to thank feminism for misleading the public about domestic violence and demonizing men all across the country. Unfortunately however, there are, slowly but surely, academic studies beginning to trickle in that show what men have already known for years. That women commit domestic violence as often as men do.
http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm
http://www.patienteducationcenter.org/aspx/HealthELibrary/HealthETopic.aspx?cid=M0907d
Yet thanks to feminism, simply uttering the magic words "he is intimidating me" can get a man thrown out of his own house, slapped with a restraining order and sent to jail without any physical evidence what so ever. Thanks feminism! Real classy.

Inconvenient truths, indeed.

These are in no particular order:

1. I kept my name when I got married. I got no grief from anyone.
2. Career: I can be an animator/media artist for any company (remembering an older feministing post about why Disney turned away a woman animator years and years ago).
3. I have full control of my reproductive rights.
4. I'm not expected to cook for or clean up after my husband. We do things fairly and pick up each other's slack.
5. College degrees and higher education for women
6. It's okay that I don't want children.
7. I am completely independent financially.

1. The feminist puberty books my mom bought me when I was 10
2. My best guy friend who not only reads the articles and rants I write, but supports them, and takes my feminism seriously. I don't know what I'd do without him.
3. The publication of awesome female writers such as Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, Ruth Ozeki, Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith, Jhumpa Lahiri, Margret Atwood who wrote/are writing wonderful works of literature and did/do not have to use a pseudonym.
4. Knowing that when my mother was applying to medical school and was asked if she felt guilty about taking a man's spot in the program, instead of playing submissive she said, "Why? Would you like me better if I had a pair of balls?". And she doesn't regret not getting into that program to this day.
5. The occasional strong female character in TV or film, such as the women of Firefly, Dana Scully of the X-Files, Emma Peel of The Avengers, etc. I wish there were more, but I'm happy to see them when they're there.
6. To echo most other people, feminist blogs and publications
7. Birth control
8. The reclamation of belly dancing and how body-positive my belly dancing class is
9. The women's and gender studies section of Powell's (Portland, OR)
10. The female professors I had in college who have helped paved the way for other women to go into academia and have a prayer of being taken seriously (yes, there's work to be done here, but there's a start).

Oh, these are all good ones! I don't know if I have any to add except that I'm thankful to have a boyfriend who considers himself feminist and who doesn't have that whole Madonna/whore complex thing going on.

In no hierarchical order ('cause, you know, feminist's don't believe in hierarchy ;)!) . . .

1) for a powerful language/framework to speak out against injustices of many kinds

2) for being my "gateway drug" into thinking about all other kinds of human rights violations and human rights activism.

3) for inspiring Our Bodies, Ourselves which, at about the age of twelve, became my first feminist sexuality primer.

4) for supporting holistic notions of beauty and success and for giving me a language in which to articulate the ways I find non-mainstream beauty and strength beautiful.

5) for the right to elective franchise.

6) for the right to educational institutions and resources

7) for the right to wear what I want and NOT where what I don't want.

8) for giving me complex language to speak about my own sexuality and embodiment, and my relational attractions.

9) for the widespread recognition that women are people.

10) for the honorific "Ms."

1. jeans
2. voting
3. short hair
4. a paycheck
5. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
6. literacy

I'm sure there's tons more, but that's all I can think of at work. :)

2. the Planned Parenthood clinic in my hometown, Colorado Springs

I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I dragged friends to the clinic on Colorado Ave. Way too many of them thought you only went there after the fact (ie, needing an abortion).

Most of my list has already been covered, but I would like to re-emphasize... I am thankful for BIRTH CONTROL.

1) Getting the admin of my counterstrike server to add rape jokes to the list of banned jokes which already included homophobic jokes and racist jokes.

2) Getting to play on a mixed gender soccer team for 6 years and being treated equally with the boys all 6 years.

3) My last elementary school teacher who was a feminist and taught us women can be strong and was very serious about bullying.

4) Breaking my grades record for the high jump and being invited to compete with the boys two grades above me.

5) My feminist brother.

6) Being one of two girls in my computer programming classes for three years and never having to deal with sexism from the boys or my teacher.

7) Being encouraged by my parents and teachers to take high level maths and sciences and participate in sports instead of being told I won't be good at them.

To Kat34,

Title IV guarantees and equal allotment of funds to male and female students and student athletes. It's too bad that some men's sports have been cut to fund women's sports. But hey, that's why most college campuses have club sports where students can do anything from wrestling to curling, sex segregated to co-rec.

The actual school sports come with more funding and athletic scholarships. So yes, some men's scholarships have been cut for women's. But why should their be a disproportionate amount of scholarships available for one gender? I could easily ask you why should men have a greater amount of athletics available at the expense of women's athletics?

Interest in women's athletics and the academic opportunities that come with them has steadily grown since the enactment of title IV because availability of sports promotes interest (how many men play college football coming from a high school that didn't offer it?).

As for domestic violence, you're a fool to imply that female victims have it easy with the justice system or that feminist shelters and support systems for these victims deny or hinder male victims. The truth is, you're probably alone in your belief that men and women are hospitalized and killed by intimate partners at equal rates.

I thank feminism for:

1. Voting rights
2. Women's sneakers that aren't pink
3. Practical underwear that I can also actually like
4. My male feminist friends (I also wholeheartedly thank the friends, natch--not for being feminist, they should be, but for daring to adopt the label)
5. Women's shelters
6. A job in IT
7. Not getting ostracized for being personally against marriage
8. Pants!
9. Short hair
10. A group of male and female sympathizers, though small, who will not call me ugly and unsexy for not shaving my legs and armpits.

And on a positive note, I can thank feminism for

1. Academic and professional opportunity.

2. A philosophy and ethical code on human rights based on compassion and logic.

3. A catalyst for understanding the struggles of oppressed people and under-represented groups.

4. Awareness of my own internalized sexism, racism -- insert any ism -- and the tools to continue to change and grow.

5. Hope for the future of humanity and confidence in my ability to contribute to a positive culture for everyone.

-My short hair cut.
-Wearing whatever I want.
-Cotton maxi pads & the Diva Cup
-Loving my body for how and what it is and not always fighting against it.
-Being in an equal, open relationship with a man (even though he is a genuinely good guy, the dynamic of our relationship may not have been conceivable pre-feminism)
-Accessibility of birth control & not having to feel embarrassed to buy condoms.
-www.babeland.com
-Women excelling in careers and artistic pursuits that were once (and to a great deal, still) considered a "man's domain".
-Cross-dressing (FUN!)
-Dialogging about gender fluidity amongst like-minded people
-Being able to vote
-Knowing that I'm entitled to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
-The ability to see through patriarchal stereotypes in the media & advertising and how it affects me personally and women as a whole.
-My awesome, feminist painting prof. in college who let you cut class if you were going to a protest.
-Not having to get married to feel secure or have a family.
-Being able to own large ticket items & property in my own name and generally being financially independent.
-Having gone to college in the first place!
-The fact that every new generation of children will benefit from feminism in increased number.
-Some fantastic books including: "Colonize This!", "Female Chauvinist Pigs", anything written by Toni Morrison (and now my mind froze from too much goodness)
-Female comedians. ALL OF THEM (because women ARE funny!)
-Female bands/musicians like Ani DiFranco, Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Bjork, Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, Kaki King, MIA, The Butchies etc, etc, and all others who are recognized for their talent and not just their sex.
-Contemporary female fine artists & illustrators/cartoonists who are finally getting recognized in a totally male-dominated industry.
-Female artists past who are just now getting their dues (Omg, too many to name!!)
-Alison Bechdel (yes, she gets her own tick)
-The poetry of Maya Angelou & Alix Olsen

Ok...ran out of steam. Maybe more later.

- the right to control my own reproductive system (at least for now)

- the WNBA. It's so nice that elite female athletes have somewhere to go after college, at least in this sport.

- choice, in all its forms. I can choose to go to work, I can choose to get married, I can choose to have a child, or not.

I missed one.

8) My mom, being a 35 year old single mother to 4 kids, being able to go to University to become a teacher.

Salad, let me educate you a little.

"It's too bad that some men's sports have been cut to fund women's sports." You should be careful, that sort of callousness expressed by you and other feminists might come back to bite ya, in fact, in may be starting to already.

"So yes, some men's scholarships have been cut for women's." You obviously missed the point. It's not that some have been cut, it's that a LOT have been cut. You obviously didn't study this subject enough. And "But why should their be a disproportionate amount of scholarships available for one gender?" Oh, I don't know maybe because, statistically and consistently, there tends to be overwhelmingly more demand and males tend to participate and show steady interest in sports far more than females. Cliff note-It's about the ridiculousness.

"Interest in women's athletics and the academic opportunities that come with them has steadily grown since the enactment of title IV because availability of sports promotes interest" Sorry, but that's laughable. The reality is that many schools have to cut there male programs to make it even because they CAN'T get woman to participate. Here is a link where Glenn can help you with your educational experience and dispell your ingnorant assuptions. http://www.glennsacks.com/title_ix_helps.htm

As for the last part of your comment on DV. You obviously didn't read the links good enough. And to say that "you're probably alone in your belief that men and women are hospitalized and killed by intimate partners at equal rates." Well actually, there not quite equal yet, but the point is, is that it's getting there and awfully fast too. Oooo, that's so inconvenient to think about, isn't it.

- Anita Hill's case as a wake-up call to the workplace that sexual harassment had to stop. I remember everyone making fun of her then -- "we're just all so PC!!!" -- but I could work in peace without being openly sexually harassed after that case.

- Buying a beater of a car at 17 and finally being free.

- Putting myself through college and having to answer to no one about grades or major.

- Teaching myself about real estate and buying a house at 33.

- Convincing my brother to stop calling women "chicks."

- Running into my first-grade teacher (I'm now 38) and answering, "Uh, nope, I'm not married" and having her lean in and say "You don't have to explain that to anyone. I wish my generation had taken the time to find out who we were."

- Judy Blume and Constance C. Greene.

- My grandma, who smoked, drank and cleaned out her own gutters.

Hi Courtney,
I tried to post this on the community page, but, it didn't go through. Now is my chance to share it on your post. It's not just the reason's I embrace the description "Feminist", it's also what I'm grateful for.

Reasons I consider myself a feminist

1. I can choose what I do with my life (school, career, marriage, children etc) and want those choices for all females.
2. As a feminist who appreciates all sexes and all gender choices I live in support of gender equality. Many of the extreme standards that women are held to have opposite extremes that men are held to. Ideally, all have the right to choose who they want to be, without having to try and fit into these extremes. An individuals purpose is defined individually rather than by genitalia or sexual orientation. I want people growing up in the future to be even less restricted by gender stereotypes than I was.
3. Personally, I love being a woman/ embrace my womanhood.
4. Whether I am the only female in a situation or not, I want my intelligence, talent and skill level to be appreciated at face value.
5. I know that insisting explicitly or complicitly that females are not equal to males is gender chauvinism. I continue to study the origins of chauvinism and develop compassion and awareness by being vocal about it. Being vocal about these issues is a right I can thank past feminists for.
6. I rise above sexist stereotypes and change them.
7. I am putting an end to the myth that my gender is an obstacle towards any accomplishment.
8. I want an end to violence against women. I would at least create awareness about the issue of gender specific crimes. Crimes against females specifically are hate crimes.
9. Regardless of what I survived/survive, I can live without people questioning what I did/wore or where i went that "brought it upon" myself. I would like questions insinuating the survivor is to blame to end in every area of the world.
10. I want female heroes acknowledged by the mainstream. I am a female hero in process.
11. Humanitarian and ecological issues are important aspects of my feminism.
12. I am proud carry the same title that those who fought for my right to work, vote, receive higher education, and have power over my own body and lifestyle carried.

I added 10 positive gains on the other entry you wrote:
1) Feminist Blogs
2) Sarah Haskins, Tina Fey and other comedians who make us laugh their intelligent, often feminist, comedy
3) Women I work with in the Film Industry
4) Child care
5) The changing definition of family
6) The New Thought / Ancient Wisdom movement
7) CHOICE
8) Plan B!
9) Continued acceptance of homosexuality. We've come a long way since Phil Donahue had his first talk show addressing homosexuality. It's in comedy, drama and "reality" TV (shows like Will and Grace would have never happened when I was a kid) as ridiculous, good and bad as it can be, it's come a long way.
10) Continued advances with Race issues. People are finally challenging the idea of race, knowing it is a cultural construct, without dismissing how real and effed up racism is. More of us are embracing "mixed" heritage,
"inter-racial" couples, families and children are accepted more.

OK, time to look for my next gig as a freelancer in film.

thanks:

- to my grandmother and mom for kicking ass each in their own way and teaching me to do it as well.

- to feminism for helping me have an awesome and more equal relationship in my marriage.

- to the Iranian feminist activists. Who taught me to see the similarities and common points with other feminist rather than differences in ideologies. AND who taught me to talk to regular people about equality rather than simply talk among my own circle of friends.

- to Hillary Clinton for taking all the sexist attacks from the media and making feminists wake up in the US again. (even if she didn't mean to do it)

- to American feminists for standing with Iranian feminists and other women's rights activists around the world, and for working on sexism in the US FIRST. (because america affects the whole world)

- to Jody williams, Shirin Ebadi, Miread Corrigan, and Wangaari Maahtai for teaching me that peace and feminism are connected.

- to Professor Brene Brown, for her book on how shame affects women : http://brenebrown.squarespace.com/brens-book/

- .... the list is huge and it goes on.

Why hasn't IndyKat been banned yet? Obvious troll, and that's just not something we need here.

Nightingale, I'm quite sure it would make you happy to silence my voice here. However, I'm not a troll and welcome a debate on the issues. As far as banning me, I have adhered to the comments polices and have refrained from attacking anyone personally, even though I have been attacked.

Nightingale, if you want me banned because I consistently offer dissenting opinions, go ahead as you can probably convince enough people to complain to the moderator so that it happens, but it will be awfully hard for you to advocate for free speech with a straight face.

Although I'm frustrated with indykat34's willful obtuseness--indy, at least two people have already linked you to the Feminism 101 blog each time you've tried to derail a thread...and you have NOT responded to what they linked to--I welcome dissenting views that are presented politely. So, I would hesititate to see him/her banned *altogether*.

But.

Esteemed editors, I think that there should be a continuous, open thread (perhaps in the left or right margin of the homepage) for people who have general beef with what they think feminism or feminists is/are. I can vouch for myself that I'd happily jump into that fray and respond there to Indykat's comments.

Indykat and others who feel compelled to derail threads: please recognize that it is extremely frustrating (and sometimes even hurtful) for someone to open up a thread on Topic A, and then have a completely different subject interjected in the comments.

We came to this thread--the Thank You Notes to Feminism--to, well, write our thank you notes. Saracastically saying "I'd like to thank feminism", and then turning around and shoehorning in a topic that has no relationship to this thread--i.e. My Problems with Feminism; or Thanks But No Thanks, Feminism--doesn't fool us. We're pretty sharp cookies at this site.

So, please refrain from injecting yourself unless you are responding directly to the thread, or to a specific poster's comments.

Thanks.

Orka, "indy, at least two people have already linked you to the Feminism 101....and you have NOT responded to what they linked to" I have linked to Glenn Sacks several times and not had people respond.
"I welcome dissenting views that are presented politely" If you would like to debate the standards of politeness, I can offer up several counter examples of people being "less than polite" to me on this website.
If you came to this post to express what you like about feminism, I'm sorry, but in my opinion feminism has brought about good but also some bad. However I see your point about topic and you seem sincere so I will work on that, but making a separate place on the website where people must go if they disagree with feminism. That sounds like something somebody would come up with if they were for free speech so long as people agree with them.

IndyKat, you came in here swinging, making it clear that your intent was to bring to light all the eeeebil that feminism has done in the world, and several of your posts so far have contained some taunting variation on "Ohh, the truth hurts, doesn't it? Can't handle a little opposition, can you?" And you've repeatedly tried to derail threads. Trying to frame that as a civil attempt at debate is a bit of a stretch. You've been deliberately antagonistic. We have a right to be annoyed with you.

Since I was one of those people who originally linked you to the Feminism 101 blog, I'll do it again, and ask you as someone who enjoys reading this feminist blog free of anti-feminist interruptions (which, believe me, we all know where to find any time we want to) to please take them where they've been good enough to devote their space to deconstructing that sort of thing. You aren't bringing anything new to the table, which is why most of the ideas reflected in your comments are represented in their FAQs. Go read them. Seriously.

*my master's degree

*my job and my kids not being mutually exclusive
*my courage
*Tina Fey, Hillary, Our female Supreme Court justices (can you even imagine their journey?), Sarah Haskins
*blogs like this one
*the openmindedness that I see in my young sons
*my vote (never to be taken for granted)
*Cobra and the Family and Medical Leave Act
*the still being worked on concept of Paid Maternity Leave
*paternity leave
*birth control and a partner's willingness to get a vasectomy
*my driver's license
*my right to be heard
*my valued existence........

I am immensely grateful to feminism for making me wake up and pay attention to the amazing women all around me.

IndyKat, I assure you of my sincerity.

I don't know why people didn't respond to the points raised in the links you offered. However, I can say that if you presented the links the way your first comment in this thread was presented--popping up to shift the given topic to one of your choosing--then I certainly would not have responded to that link, either. Common courtesy suggests that I not hijack the main thread (LOL, as I am helping do now).

I do not see the connection you make between a separate "off-topic" section and "free speech." Having a separate section where people can bring their various off-topic thoughts and opinions (as opposed to interuptting existing threads) seems to me to be the epitome of free speech-supporting. If you have a thought you feel like expressing or want to solicit comments on something that, unluckily for you, the editors haven't created a thread on that day or week, then you could go to that designated space to air your views.

And no one there could tell you you were "off-topic" because it would be an open, off-topic space, a catch-all for the thoughts that have no formal place.

1. My husband was able to be raised with the idea that respecting men and women equally is just natural (despite his father's best efforts).

2. It isn't strange that my husband and I split the housework equally.

2a. I can ask my husband to look after our daughter when I feel like I'm going to crack rather than bottle it up, force a smile, and silently cry myself to sleep.

3. I can own things without a man's approval.

3a. I can drive without my husband's (or other male relative's) permission

4. I don't get strange looks if I walk down the street without make-up, wearing pants, etc.

5. At least in some ways, it has permeated western culture enough that even a crap-disturber like Jeremy Clarkson is disgusted by the fact that as soon as you put a female race car driver in a racing suit she is turned into a sex object.

6. Many new feminists are realizing it is actually about equality not simply women above men.

7. I never had to wear a chastity belt, attend a purity ball, or otherwise place my value as a human being upon my virginity.

8. My M.Sc.

There are millions to name, but I'll go with what's right in front of my eyes: The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. A liberal lesbian with a news show and a sense of humor. It doesn't get any better than this. Oh, and for making me feel strong enough in my beliefs that no amount of sarcasm can dissuade me from carrying the name feminist with pride.

-Opening my eyes to what I should have seen long ago.
-My mom, my grandmother, my best friends’ mom’s.
-The ability to finally become the man I always was inside without fear.
-My job.
-Purpose.

Sorry, I didn't get back sooner to all of you.

Well, it looks like I've angered the masses

Misspelled, While I don't doubt that you are annoyed my me, calling me deliberately antagonistic, I find curious since it was you I believe who called me an "obnoxious troll" a few posts ago. Maybe you shouldn't throw stones. And, contrary to popular belief, My intention is not to derail threads. Okra made a valid point about sticking to the topic of the post and I certainly understand that. There is no reason why commenters shouldn't restrict there comments to the topic of the moment. Seems reasonable to me. However, if you are trying to label my dissenting opinions as "bring to light all the eeeebil that feminism has done in the world" and "anti-feminist interruptions" - your not going to get off that easy.

Okra, I think we just had a misunderstanding about the "off topic section".

To all others: I will be happy to continue this at a later time, perhaps tomorrow or Monday for sure. As for now, i'm signing off. It's friday night (life beckons).

Indykat has left the building.

IndyKat, don't say shit like, "Oh, I've angered the masses" when your clear intention was to piss everyone off.

You're not going to get anywhere with your "Oh, you know I'm right, you just don't want to admit it" tactics either, so kindly knock it off.

And the reason why nobody bothers to respond with anything more than an eyeroll to your constant citing of Glenn Sacks is because he's widely known for his shoddy research.

This feminist geek's thank-you list:

- Joanna Russ, Ursula K. le Guin, James Tiptree Jr. (whose real name was Alice Sheldon), Octavia Butler, and Tanith Lee (among others) for analyzing and overturning sexist tropes in science fiction and fantasy.

- Robert Munsch's smart, spunky little heroines, especially The Paper Bag Princess.

- The increasingly widespread use of the female pronoun in RPG books -- in particular, the fact that when examples are given of player/game master interaction, the GM is typically now a "she". Special thanks to White Wolf Games, the first gaming company to use the feminine pronoun as the default.

- Jessica Amanda Salmonson, the first of many authors to introduce me to historical warrior women.

- Terri Windling for her research and analysis of folktales and fairy tales, especially women's roles therein.

Dora the Explorer! I am so serious. Dora's an advertous and smart girl. little girls could learn a lot from her. She's much better than Smurfette or Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake or whaever else I refused to play with when I was a kid.

What a great idea!

1) My professor/adviser, who is an inspirational, incredible woman, who managed her way through college during a time in which a woman getting a phD in Japanese literature was unheard of.

2) Yosano Akiko: A great woman, poet, feminist, and publisher, who pushed on from being a humble provincial girl to become a modern day firebird who changed the ideas of sex, love, and poetry in Japan. She’s inspired me as a poet, a woman, and a Japanophile.

3) Courtney Martin, who made me adopt the title of a feminist with pride. :)

4) My professors pointing out the bravery and moral strength of female characters, such as Sita from the Ramayana, matching or even surpassing those of her husband Rama.

5) The latest advances in noting the prominence of females with autism/Asperger syndrome. We are out there, and we are in need of as much attention and awareness as our male counterparts!

6) Strong female characters in Hayao Miyazaki films, which I know I'll happily show to my children one day.

7) My mother for working several jobs to pay the bills, after being widowed, and in that way liberated from waiting on my father hand-and-foot. And for putting her two daughters through college now.

8) Being able to speak up in classrooms and life in general, and being praised for being bold, rather than labeled disruptive or bitchy.

IndyKat:

I wouldn't be saying that if you were attempting to add to the discussion. But you weren't. You weren't responding with dissenting views to something others were saying on the discussion. You weren't making a new post to bring up your (fallacious) points for discussion. And when people pointed out you were wrong, you ignored them in favor of telling us that we're against free speech, and that doesn't seem like you're here for discussion. No one had mentioned anything even remotely related to what you brought up. You were taking a thread for positive things that feminists had done, and used it to attack feminists. That is not the behavior of someone who is here for discussion, it's the behavior of a troll with an agenda.

Furthermore, this is the sort of thing you've done in the past, and that is what makes you a troll. You're here to inflame well meaning posters, and that is what makes you a troll.

I'm all for you having free speech, but if you want it go make your own blog. I promise I won't come over there and point out how men are still practically allowed to rape their wives, or how many schools barely have any female sports teams.

But please, take your trollish persecution complex somewhere else. You're not going to change anyone's mind, and you're not going to make anyone feel sorry for you.

Oh, and just so I'm not completely negative all over this nice discussion (Sorry!):

I'm thankful for feminism because:
1. I can hope to publish a science fiction work someday and not have to hide my gender.
2. There are places I can marry my partner regardless of our gender.
3. I don't feel like I have to use makeup to fix my face.
4. I can recognize that hating my body is neither normal nor right. When someone makes me feel bad for how I look, I know the problem is with them, not me.
5. I can recognize how sexism hurts men too! We're all people, in this together, and our problems are all related.

#1- The Rabbit, and the ablity to use it every day without shame

#2- The fact that as I sit in law school classes every day, women all around me hold their own engaging in the socratic method with old boy professors and don't think twice about it

#3- Birth control--literally saved me life, and just feels like a life saver

#4- A boyfriend who thinks smart and sexy go hand in hand

#5- The ability to understand the pressures he faces to live up to sexist standards

#6- Feministing!!!!!

I'm thankful that the "awful truth" presented by IndyKat, is no reason to regret Feminism. Really, would anybody here feel guilty about everything we've gained when presented with that?

I have so much to thank Feminism for, primarily the right to be regarded as a human being and not another, inferior, species. All of our rights and freedoms to conduct our lives as capable human beings trump sports teams. Oh, the poor men's sports team can't fund itself. Oh, what horrors have we DONE?! Our whole mission is a failure! Seriously. Let's work it out. As I said, schools could do better funding/accounting (this doesn't just apply to sports teams), do a co-ed team, etc. Not saying it'll be an easy solution, but lots of things in life are inconvenient.

As for domestic violence... If, as you claim, men are so victimized by domestic violence, why aren't you more concerned with the issue itself instead of the double standard? Why don't you promote awareness or a shelter for battered men instead of whining about how women can actually be taken seriously about an issue that was for a long time treated as something that didn't truly exist or was nobody's business?

1. My university education
2. The awareness that not everyone could have that education, which made me appreciate it more
3. My mother, who taught me to never compromise myself for anyone
4. My ambition
5. Passing Jessica's book onto my 14 year old sister and having her call me the next day to tell me she's writing a paper on feminism!!!!
6. Not being afraid to stand up to any man when I disagree
7. (Mostly) being taken seriously when I do express my opinion
8. Birth control
9. Not being afraid of my body
10. A sense of dignity

1. That I live in a state with a female governor, 2 female US senators, and a state supreme court with more women than men. And no one thinks twice about it.

2. That I am not the only stay at home mom who calls herself a feminist here.

3. The WNBA, US Women's Soccer Team, the Gold Medal US Women's Softball Team

4. The polls are turning back in Obama's favor because women are smart and choose policy over Palin.

5. The community created by women on the internet- how did people survive without having a place to find other people who understand you (particularly as a mom)?

6. My daughter is smart, and she doesn't have to hide it.

There appears to be a blogger on this site who doesn't really understand that the movement of feminism is about, at the very least, leveling the playing field: women deserve, simply by virtue of being a member of the human race, equal rights, equal treatment, equal say, equal safety, equal health, equal pay, equal opportunity - the same standard of living in the world as men have enjoyed for hundreds of years, often at the EXPENSE of women. If that means that laws have to be enacted to force the men and women clinging to times past to move into the modern world and provide and ensure equal rights, equal treatment, equal say, equal safety, equal health, equal pay, and equal opportunity for women, then so be it. Is that the "fault" of feminists? No, that is the fault of any individual or group of individuals who didn't, on their own, decide that there is a right way to treat all human beings and a wrong way. If Acts and Amendments and Laws and Decrees and the like have to be enacted to ensure a population considers all humans fairly, um, well, so? If unfair treatment of women and minorities had never existed in the first place, we'd never have to "force" any institution to do anything, would we?

And why on God's beautiful earth would you make a pointed statement about the abuse of men being on the rise as a "result" of feminism? Not even a stack of articles makes that statement true. Any form of abuse perpetrated on any human being is a shameful act, and not encouraged or reinforced by ANY movement that seeks to give all peoples access to all rights. Instead, it's encouraged and reinforced by a society that fearfully seeks to push back against giving all rights to all people. If you truly care about the rights of men, you'd better learn to care about the rights of women, because the POINT is that we're all human beings.

What I'm grateful to feminism for:
1. A mother and father who both served in the military with great honor and respect for their fellow Americans and human beings.
2. The Navy, who later hired my mother to help teach older, higher ranking male members how to accept and treat female recruits.
3. The continued rise of women and minorities obtaining college degrees then going out into the world to make it a better place.
4. My male friends who know how to REALLY treat a woman.
5. That I'm a female named "Mitch," and not since high school has anyone treated me differently because of a once gender-specific name.

Yea!

-A father who treated me just like my brothers even when it meant more work or chores (meaning I was expected to do well in math and science as well as my fair share of the yard work)

-A boyfriend who is more proud of me for lifting weight than losing it.

-Being in a relationship where I am viewed as an equal with open, intelligent conversation.

-Being able to pursue a career in the arts without being looked at as "sissy" or overly "feminine" but rather smart and intelligent.

-Getting to hear stories about amazing women and the fight for women's rights around the world.

-the hard working people that keep encouraging places like this going on the web

this is great- sometimes I get so preoccupied with the bad I don't remember to take a gander at all the good. so, here it is:

1. great books of feminist thought
2. brave feminist professors at small, conservative schools taking on heaps of criticism to teach students a message of equality that they might not hear
3. the feminist blog world- gives folks who feel alone a chance to connect with the feminist conversation
4. the organization rainn
5. feminist bookstores (specifically Charis in Atlanta, GA)
6. being able to hug my close male friends
7. having a kick-ass girlfriend who thinks feminism is hot
8. seeing parents raise children who love themselves
9. the phrase "yeah, I guess I am a feminist'
10. bell hooks

Rob.William, I also love the phrase "Yeah, I guess I am a feminist." Every time I'm having a conversation and I hear it, it's a little proof that taking so much shit for this will all be worthwhile in the end.

Peace!

Kat34 thinks men suffer as much as women from domestic violence. She/he gives a link to a hundred references that prove it. Have a look at the list. One is: Archer, J. (2002). Sex differences in physically aggressive acts between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7, 213-351.

The summary is: Analyzing responses to the Conflict Tactic Scale and using a data set somewhat different from the previous 2000 publication, the author reports that women are more likely than men to throw something at their partners, as well as slap, kick, bite, punch and hit with an object. Men were more likely than women to strangle, choke, or beat up their partners.

If women slap men as often as men strangle women, I think women get the worse end of that deal.

1) The suffragettes, here and abroad, who worked so hard to get women the vote.
2) Margaret Sanger.
3) Gloria Steinem.
4) My father who, in spite of succumbing to sexism occasionally, has never told me I can't do something because I'm female, and was truly proud of me for getting my pilot's license.
5)My husband, who is a true partner, always treats me as his equal and likes women as people.
6) The good men out there like him who appreciate women as people.
7) Women's colleges.
8) Blogs like these, whose writers are not content to rest on their laurels, especially since our reproductive rights are in danger.
9) The birth control pill.
10) Title IX.

1. Being able to get my PhD in molecular biology! (also thanks to bioscience advances for making that possible starting in the late 80's).

2. Having half of my matriculating PhD class be female. Not just at my institution; nationwide.

3. Birth control, without which I probably wouldn't be able to get my PhD.

4. My many math and science teachers (except for the one) who encouraged me, saw my talent, and did not penalize my grade simply because I was born with a vulva. Without them I certainly wouldn't be getting my PhD.

5. Being able to vote, and being able to vote for the candidate of MY choice, not that of my father's or husband's.

6. Having a husband who knows it's only fair for him to do half of the housework and half of the (future) childrearing.

7. Having a husband who isn't threatened by my making much more income than him, or by my providing health, life and dental insurance, and the car he drives to work every day.

8. Having a husband who is very enthusiastic that I enjoy sex by whatever means necessary.

9. Being able to have been married by a lesbian minister, and have a ceremony that didn't relegate me to an aide, servant or sex slave.

10. Most definately bell hooks.

11. Rape crisis centers, especially the U of MN one, without which I would not be as mentally healthy as I am today.

I do not have a list going but I am very happy about all of the things that we are able to do because it shows we made a lot of improvements over the year! I am proud of who I am!

1). My sisters, one of whom is in engineering school and one of whom is hoping to be a psychologist.
2). Both my parents, who encouraged me to be a feminist.
3). Anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual assault legislation, which, while inadequate, has come a long way.
4). My awesome friends, of all genders, who identify as feminists.
5). Granny D and Rachel Corrie (two brave women everyone should know about).
6). The fact that nearly 60% of undergraduate students are women and more than 60% of graduate students.
7). Angela Davis, bell hooks, Derrick Jensen, Patricia Hill Collins, Ynestra King, and so many more feminist writers.
8). Sex-positive feminism and easy access to birth control.
9). Womanism.
10). Feeling great about enjoying cleaning, cooking, knitting, and taking care of others.

1. college
2. pants
3. my ex-husband being just fine with the idea of giving my last name to half of the kids, without needing to be convinced
4. feminist fantasy/sf writers
5. self-defense classes for women
6. Bitch PhD's child, who gives me hope it's possible to raise non-sexist kids despite the still very sexist environment
7. the Bechdel Rule
8. the rarity of hand-kissing and door-opening
9. all the long-haired (and even single-long-braid-wearing!) men at my work
10. being happily single

-Birth control

-Right to vote

-Keeping my name -Hillary Clinton

-Ownership of property

-The Women and Religion class I took in College

-Getting my degree in Women's Studies from ASU

-Women's sports

-Bitch magazine

-Kathleen Hanna

I am thankful to feminism for changes even in my lifetime!

1. When I first learned to read, job ads were: Help Wanted, Male, Help Wanted, Female. Now they are just Help Wanted.

2. I could not join Little League...my daughter can (if she wants).

3. Not only could I keep my name when I married, the spots for each partner read Name Before Marriage___, Name After Marriage____. Cool!

4. Not only do I have a career, I supervise males.

5. My husband is comfortable being the stay-at-home parent.

6. My foster daughter is going to be a Chemist! She'll have her PhD in June.

7. And she is a lesbian who can be "out."

8. Not only can I have a career, a man can be a clerk at a grocery store. When I was a child, a man would simply not be hired because that was considered women's work. They'd have to starve before being able to take a job they needed.

We haven't come far enough but we have traveled in the right direction.

1. The fact that even when I was raised with a father that thinks feminism is a bad word, thanks to blogs like this and amazing women, I can consider myself a feminist.

2.I'm aware of everyday sexism.

3.I have the initiative of opening the doors for my brother and my guy friends.

4.I can study Computer Science at college, where most of the students are male.

5.My best (straight) guy friend, who isn't scared to be almost the complete opposite of what society thinks a "man" is.

6.Hearing my male friends talk about how one of my female friends is one of the best drummers they have ever met.

7.Pants, of course.

8.My future doesn't rely on any man I could marry.

9.Being able to vote when I have the right age.

10.Being able to (most of the time) say my opinion in a room full of men without being afraid (I still have to work a little more on this though).

1) A strong, smart, independent Mother who taught me to be the same.

2) An awesome Dad who openly taught me all kinds of "guy things" as a kid: electronics, music stuff, etc.

3) a step Dad who when me and my siblings left home gave each of us(2 boys 2 girls) the following: a copy of "the Joy of Cooking" and a toolbox! :-)

4) guys finding it hot that I have an MA.

5) the increasing numbers of women musicians, women sound engineers, etc.

6) the (majority) of the guys of my generation who view women as equal and make a safe and supportive atmosphere for us to pursue careers, family, etc.

7) the women of my generation recognize and appreciate the support of said guys.

8) my boyfriend who would never expect me to change my name if we got married (or any other weird sexist expectation), and who often insists on making dinner so that I can keeping working my studio.

Lydia Encyclopedia, are you my long-lost twin? I'm a woman with asberger's and a Japanophile.

1. Not feelings like I need to be in a relationship to be happy
2. Sarah Haskins
3. Financially supporting myself
4. Healthy sexuality, including access to resources and information
5. My job
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7. Voting in the upcoming election!
8. Viable women candidates for president and VP
9. Knowing that I don't have to put up with sexual harassment
10. Reproductive freedom