can man be a feminist

Men have to be part of feminism, but that doesn't mean they have to run the show. I would not want or expect any one in my life to take a punch for me, any more than I would want to take a punch myself. My concern is to keeping women safe, but honestly one of the biggest social lessons a man can advocate the women’s rights and help to empowered them. As a man, I am sworn to protect the women in my life.

Most fathers, brothers, boyfriends and more are good men who respect and care about the women and girls in their lives. Many of these men feel protective of these women and girls, and I can understand why. The world is not a very good place for women in a lot of ways. 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime

"With men leading on women’s issues, even when we win, we lose. Men shouldn't be the voices of feminism, but we can build and support the platforms from which women's voices call out"

Feminist discourse might even have more pertinent impact on men than on women. Many women know they are oppressed by patriarchy. They have the life experiences of belonging to an oppressed group and have most likely shared personal stories that reveal their wounds from patriarchy. Men, on the other hand, are less likely to recognize their gender privilege and probably have not shared stories of wounding women through their own oppressive behaviors nor have they grieved with other men over the harm they have caused to women. Vulnerable, acquiescent behavior is not commonly accepted as manly in today's society. Nevertheless, I believe that real feminism is not just about hearing personal stories but also about changing the structure of gender relations and acting to eliminate all forms of patriarchy.

The inclusion and safety of all women should be the guiding principle of the feminist actions. If this means men need to go off and think of new ways to stop each other objectifying and undermining women (maybe even without the banner of ‘feminism’, given its apparent toxicity to men), then we might all benefit