so, i find myself having a huge weakness for young, slightly awkward, highly intelligent, heavey drinkers who like to talk about music, politics and literature.

and i’m a little hopelessly attracted to this kid, a film student and nerd (in the hip way). we joke around quite a bit and always have fascinating, ridiculous conversations. today i was blown out of the water when i put in this mixtape of riot grrrl bands and he recignized the bands and songs. we talked about riot grrrl, girl gangs (i even showed him my tattoo from my girl gang), feminism, girl music and zines! how excited was i? i can’t even say…
then i said something about boys who call themselves feminists, but don’t change themselves, just talk shit about “typical guys”. he said something about how common that is. and he wasn’t for sure a feminist, but he knew it was important and he did believe in equality. and it was becuase he believed in equailty that he wasn’t a feminist, because there were a rare few who took it to the point of reversing the issue (issue=sexism? reverse sexism?!) and dominated men…

…what?

i responded by saying that sometimes that’s valid. we were then interupted and didn’t get to finish the conversation. so, does this guy i thought of as an ally and a cutie believe in “reverse sexism”. not just the act of women oppressing men, but that phrase?!

he might not even have meant it that way… we didn’t get to finish talking about it!!! i know later he quoted le tigre and i’m positive i turned fucking red in the face and forgot his strange, incomplete sentence that was so, um, anti-feminist. not just that, but he almost uttered a phrase that carries this vast amount of baggage and guilt.

so, what do we do when the “radical” men in our lives aren’t so “radical”?

my friend Ruth Less volunteered to write female domination 2 & 3, where we’ll explore reverse sexism, oppression, and uh, talking about it with your coworkers/people you’re sexually attracted to… right?

…right!