Jewish World / Let’s talk about sex(ism)
Monday, August 18th, 2008Kim Gouz 18/8/08
Studying Israel turned me feminist. A moderate who grew up in white, middle-class suburbia, I was not the pro-choice pushing, anti-pornography ranting, condom-dispersing type. I’ve always defined myself as being socially liberal, and I’ve supported feminist issues privately for a long time. But until a year ago, you would have been hard pressed to find me on any street corner waiving the feminist banner. In a lot of ways, I’ve always felt very conflicted about feminism in the U.S. While I never doubted that many women in America do experience gender marginalization, it was not something I’d dealt with firsthand. My earliest memories are of co-ed basketball teams and home-repair projects with my father, in addition to the more effeminate ballet and piano lessons. I was raised to believe if I worked hard enough I could do anything and, while I’m not sure “university professor hopeful” and “professional student” made the top ten on my parents’ list of preferred occupations, I have been supported by family, friends, teachers and employers throughout my life. So how does one go from passively supporting gender equality to, say, participating in Women in Black vigils in Jerusalem and Haifa?
