feminist of the week: lauren rankin
Name: Lauren Rankin
Age: 27
Occupation: Freelance writer and graduate student
Location: Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States
Describe yourself in one word:
Vibrant
What is your feminist philosophy?
Intersectionality is a must. I believe that all oppression is linked and that everyone experiences oppression in their own distinct ways, due to the way that privilege works. Without an intersectional understanding of feminism, feminism will continue to perpetuate other forms of bigotry and oppression in the name of “women.”
When did you have your feminist awakening?
My mother is a proud feminist, and I was raised in a progressive, feminist-minded household. But I really came to embrace feminism in a deeper, more personal way in my first semester of college at Northwestern University, when I took my first Gender Studies class, “Roots of Feminism.”
Why is feminism important in today’s world?
Gender inequality persists, and kyriarchal and patriarchal oppression is still the fabric of most societies. Without a keen understanding and focus on the role gender plays in every aspect of society and culture, we are missing the full picture. And honestly, in this current American political climate in which we are battling for basic reproductive health care, it’s impossible to say that feminism is redundant or outdated.
What are you doing to further the feminist cause today?
I’m a feminist writer and activist, and my work focuses on feminist issues and feminist politics. I also believe it is important to call out other feminists and feminist organisations when they err, and I continue to do that. It’s never fun to have your privilege checked, but it’s part of being a good ally and truly progressing. Whenever I have my own privilege checked (and it happens quite often), I try and sit with it, absorb it, and learn from it.
What is the most important feminist cause in your life?
I don’t believe in a single most important feminist cause. I think it derails attention from other causes and perpetuates the harmful narrative that certain causes are more important. I think abortion rights are as crucial as trans rights and sexual assault prevention. I refuse to believe that there is a single, most important feminist cause, because all too often, that cause alienates women of colour, low-income women, lesbians, trans-women, disabled women, and other minority women.
The “most important feminist cause” narrative all too often comes at the expense of these women, and that is unacceptable to me.
Can men be considered feminist? Why should men take up the feminist cause?
Of course. Men are crucial to feminism, as I have argued before. Men should embrace feminism because feminism benefits them as well in that it challenges strict and oppressive gender norms. I do think that men can be and should be feminists, but it’s important for them to play a supporting role, rather than stealing the spotlight from women. Male feminists must remember male privilege.
Do you think that feminism has a branding issue? If so, why and how do you suggest the movement can fix it?
The “branding issue” is simply patriarchy fighting back. Those who benefit from patriarchy and unchecked power often find it difficult to relinquish that privilege, and they will continue to try and paint feminism as “anti-men” or whatever other offensive term they come up with. Honestly, I am not interested in branding, but in doing the actual work of feminism.
Who is your favourite feminist/what is your favorite feminist organisation and why?
There is no one feminist that is a “favourite,” because feminism is a social justice movement, not a platform for stardom. I admire Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldua, Charlotte Bunch, Lindy West, Jacqui Alexander, Jessica Luther, among many others, and I feel that each feminist that I admire and follow has provided or continues to provide a new portal through which to see the world.
What’s your advice to other feminists?
My first advice is to maintain an intersectional point of view. Understand that your experience and perspective is yours alone, and be open to varying perspectives and points of view from other women. Don’t just pay lip service to intersectionality, but stand in solidarity with women of colour, disabled women, trans-women, lesbian women. Don’t talk over them. Listen. Absorb. Learn.
Also, know that you’re going to get heat and you’re going to have hurtful things said about you. The work is long, tiring, and seemingly endless. But trolls are a sign that you are doing important work, and instead of focusing on those negative comments, cultivate relationships with people whose work you respect and admire. Let them be your guide, not anti-feminist name-callers.
For a closer look at Lauren Rankin, visit her website laurenrankin.com.
