Adios Feministing

It was almost exactly five years ago that I wrote my first guest post for Feministing. About a year later, Jessica and the crew asked me to join as an Editor, and it’s been an absolutely amazing ride ever since.

I can’t really put into words my gratitude for what this community has brought me. Showing me that my words and thoughts matter, that feminism is alive and well (even among young people!), that online activism can actually make a difference.

I feel like I’ve grown up on this blog. I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons, I’ve fine-tuned my opinions, and I’ve learned a ton about new topics, issues and causes. This blog would be nothing without the community that has supported it over the years, through comments, emails, community posts and in-person support. Thanks to each and everyone of you for reading and being a part of the Feministing community.

It’s bittersweet, but after four years as an Editor at Feministing, I’ve decided it’s time to move on to other projects and endeavors. The crew that remains is absolutely incredible, and I leave with so much gratitude for all of them and how they have supported me and my work.

I’m not disappearing from the feminist movement or the internet. I launched an exciting new project yesterday, and the best way to stay in touch with me is over at Radical Doula, on twitter, or by joining my email list.

In the tradition of Ann and Courtney, I want to leave with a few parting thoughts about the future of feminism.

I think this movement is really amazing in many ways, but I also think that it’s time for feminism to adapt to the sexism of today. Because of feminism’s successes, sexism isn’t the same animal it used to be. That doesn’t mean that sexism is dead–it’s quite truly alive and well, but perhaps a bit more insidious than it once was.

Feminism has yet to adequately adapt to these changes, and in my humble opinion, the crux of this adaptation is going to be about gender. Feminism needs a more nuanced understanding of gender in order to adequately address the sexism of tomorrow. Our movement can’t be about women versus men anymore. We all serve to benefit from feminism, and we all need to know our place in the movement.

My vision? A feminist movement that works toward a world where no one is limited or defined by their gender identity. This movement takes on a wide range of social justice issues and brings a gender lens to all of them. I think we’re headed in the right direction, but we need to continue to interrogate how gender stereotyping and gender essentialism holds us back from this goal.

That’s it for me. Thanks to everyone, again, for supporting my work and this fantastic community.

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