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Kelli Scarpa
Professor Karunanayake
ENG 111
Submission Date
What is a Feminist? : An Annotated Bibiliography
Gilreath, Shannon.IV.Together in Struggle.Feminism and Gay Liberation.51 U. KAN.
L. REV. 291 (2003).109-139.Print.

This essay essentially articulates the importance of support from all people
in the fight for equality of the sexes. It points out the fundamental overlapping in
the philosophies between Gay Rights activist and Feminists, insinuating that there
is no excuse for them to not identify and support feminism. As a feminist, Gilreath
writes, "Gay men have our situation, generally on the bottom of male-supremacist
hierarchy, propagandized as a choice, in the way that Ann notesthat our
sexuality is a function of choicebut in other important ways too" (135). Gay men
have experienced the same ideas of straight male supremacy that women do, and
are fighting for a very similar cause.
This is an interesting twist on the popular view of the roles of men and
women and the way that people associate with different causes. It shows that it is
not only women who are encouraged to join the feminist movement, breaking
down the walls of the misandry stereotype.
The article proves very useful for my essay because it defies multiple
common misconceptions that I am going to address. It addresses the idea that only

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women are feminists, when in fact if men do not fight for womens rights, nothing
will change. This article also addresses the common misconception that feminists
hate men. How can people fighting for the equality of all genders hate men? It
goes against the very principles that feminists stand upon. Yes, women have been
through a lot of problems caused by men, but if they are to fight for equality, they
cannot show preference to one gender or another.

Goldberg, Michelle.Feminisms Toxic Twitter Wars.The Nation.February17,2014.1317.Print.

This article is about the birth of the online feminist community and the
different pluses and minuses of the different things associated with it. "The women
involved with #Femfuture knew that many would contest at least some of their
conclusions. They werent prepared, though, for the wave of coruscating anger and
contempt that greeted their work" (13). People were outraged by the group's writings
for a number of reasons. There were concerns about plagiarism of tweets that were
cited, and enraged feminists who were not invited to the conference, because of
travel costs, no less. There was concern about the exclusivity of an online movement
and about the diversity of the group, despite the fact that the group was mostly made
up of black women. 'It was really hard to engage in processing real critique because
so much of it was couched in an absolute disavowal of my intentions and my
person,' Martin says" (13). "Though Mukhopadhyay continues to believe in the
empowering potential of online feminism, she sees that much of it is becoming
dysfunctional, even unhealthy. 'Everyone is so scared to speak right now,' she says"
(13). In 2007, the feminist online community was blossoming, encouraging timid, but

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avid believers in feminism to share the spotlight and express their views. However,
over the last couple of years, the online community has been in a downward spiral
as a result of the "slashing righteousness of other feminists" (13). Katherine Cross, a
Puerto Rican PhD student of CUNY Graduate Center, explains "'I fear being cast
suddenly as one of the bad guys for being insufficiently radical, too nuanced or too
forgiving, or for simply writing something whose offensive dimensions would be

unknown to me at the time of publication,'" (14). Basically, feminists not only face
criticism from the outside world, but also from inside their own community.

He For She.He For She.UN Women.2014.Web.

This website, in conjunction with Emma Watson's speech to the United
Nations, is organizing a whole new movement within the feminist community. It
acknowledges the fact that without the support of men, no organization, no
matter how strong can change society.
This new subsection can bring people who otherwise thought they were
not included in the fight for equality. It brings to light the point of view of women
who are involved in the movement and watching it slip in the mud because
people dont feel the need to support their cause.
This will be interesting to include because it ties into the previous article about
Gay and Lesbian support of the feminist movement. However, this website
blatantly invites and almost begs people to join the movement and shows that the
UN is in support of it, giving a huge concrete form of credibility to feminism.

Poehler, Amy.The Feminist: Smart Girls w/ Amy Poehler.Amy Poehler's Smart

Girls. Youtube.May 7,2012.Web.

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In this episode of Amy Poehler's moderate feminist youtube channel, she

interviews a "seven and three-quarter year old" named Ruby about her dreams,
her life, and her book on feminism. Though the book was a kindergartener's
project, it shares in very simplified terms the basis of the idea of feminism. Rosy's
innocence and surprising knowledge of fundamental feminism creates a very
strong argument for the sincerity of the cause. Ruby shares with the audience
her strong adamancy that "If boys can climb the monkey rings, girls can climb the
monkey rings, too." Through this, she implies that girls are capable of everything
boys are capable of, and should be acknowledged as such.
This video provides a childs view on feminism, breaking down the barrier
of the ages. Ruby gives a very emotional appeal to the fight for equality of all
genders.
This will be useful for my paper because it contradicts the connotation that
feminism is only for middle-aged middle-class white women. It also shows that
this is not a movement created by power-hungry women, but it is a logical human
desire to be treated with equality, which makes sense to even a small
kindergartener.