The feminism tag on Tumblr really frustrates me sometimes. 

It’s full of a lot of university students who just like to point out how this person can’t be a feminist because they said ‘so and so’. And this person can’t be a feminist because of their race/social class/gender/religion ect.

I’m really sick of seeing ‘You’re a white middle class cis female, you can’t be a feminist’.

The main argument is that white people can’t have an opinion on issues such as feminism, because we have privilege. According to some on tumblr, because you have ‘privilege’ anything you think on social justice issues is null and void. That I already have it better than the majority of the population and should just get out of the way of the ‘real’ feminists. You know, the ones that aren’t white or middle class.

 Let me just say- I acknowledge that the issues surrounding women can change depending on race, country or social class. And I acknowledge that my views may be different because of my experiences in the world as a white female. But this goes for everyone out there. All our views on the world are coloured by how we have already experienced the world. But it does not make my opinion invalid. 

I feel that the way it’s going at the moment- that a lot of modern men and women are being sucked in the ‘we no longer need feminism’ bullshit- feminism needs to embrace every person out there who wants equality between the sexes. And I feel that those who are actively trying to limit the definition of feminist are just working against what feminism is about.

By trying to silence someone based on their race, you are being racist. By trying to silence someone based on their gender, you are being sexist.