Male feminist?

Ugh. So apparently it's up for debate if men can really be feminists. I find this kind of discussion reductive and frankly kind of annoying. Firstly, it assumes that there is only one correct kind of feminism. Secondly, I'm pretty sure that having a vagina doesn't give you special access to feminism (not to mention if you identify as gender queer). I understand the argument that men sometimes don't always totally get it because they've experienced a lifetime of subtle privilege that they tend to be generally unaware of. But that doesn't mean that men can't be feminists.

Furthermore, what's frustrating is that people tend to assume the opposite is true as well: women=feminists. Some of the most sexist language I've heard has come from women out there. There's a tendency to call issues that feminists support "women's issues" as if it's a male versus female battle out there.

In fact, if feminists really want to advance their causes, they really need male feminists. By making feminism something for everyone, as bell hooks said, then we actually have a hope of a united front for pay equality, equality in child care and household politics, and a whole host of other issues.