'Gender-critical feminists' don't understand feminism because they don't understand patriarchy. Feminism is a movement against patriarchy. And GCFs think that patriarchy is reducible to male dominance over women. 1/7

On their view, men are privileged because they are men, women are oppressed because they are women, end of story. On this picture, patriarchy lifts up all men for being men, even if forces like racism, classism, ableism, etc., sometimes outweigh patriarchy. 2/7

This picture makes feminism solely about women, which in turn makes it important to define and police the boundaries of womanhood. But this picture is wrong. 3/7

Patriarchy privileges people who meet dominant norms of manhood, which aren't separable from forces like racism & classism. Even MacKinnon, who repeatedly talks about 'male supremacy', acknowledges that patriarchy disadvantages gay and Black men *because they are men*. 4/7

This should immediately clue us into the fact that patriarchy is not reducible to a binary of 'men over women'. Many men experience violence, marginalization, and exploitation not *despite* patriarchy, but *because* of it. 5/7

Patriarchy privileges 'real men', not 'all men', where 'real men' are defined by dominant norms of manhood. This is why GCFs are wrong about feminism. Feminism is for everyone who patriarchy keeps down in order to keep 'real men' up. 6/7

This includes women, queer, trans, and GNC people, racialized and disabled people, and more. Policing womanhood serves patriarchy, not feminism. *end lecture* 7/7