3rd wave feminism has made notable progress for civil rights

"Third Wave feminism and Civil Rights" A. - What is the Third Wave: In order to fully examine the impact of Third Wave feminism on the civil rights struggles of the last few decades, two things must be done. - Identifying the ideas of the movement. - Demonstrating an impact of those ideas. I will first seek to outline a few of the more universal ideals of third wave feminism, and explore their roots, then I will attempt to show the impact those cultural movements have fueled. It does bear mentioning that 3rd wave feminism is still a very young idea system, and as such is still very fluid and changing as more social concerns and injustices come to light. "In contrast to those voices (2nd wave feminist thinkers), thirdR08;wavers do not completely reject the agenda of secondR08;wave feminism (Heywood 2006a, 139); they simply seek to rid feminist practice of its perceived ideological rigidity." (1) It evolved from many long-established schools of thought which were part of the discourse of the 2nd wave feminist movement. "Feminism is itself problematic, because the theories that inform it are heterogenous (p.25). (8) Like any logical divergence from an academic school of thought, the evolution of feminist theory is an entirely natural progression of a social, cultural movement, and as such, the schools of thought share many similarities, just as they share differences. Additionally, many "modern" (still living) feminists hold beliefs from both 2nd and 3rd wave feminist theories. "Within the body of third wave feminist thinking, there exists strains and influences of other feminist epistemologies, including standpoint theory, queer theory, postmodernist, poststructuralist feminist thought and anti-essentialism." (8) There are still several "Ideals" which are selective to what is defined as 3rd wave feminism, which I will highlight below. I. - The Ideas of Third Wave Feminism: To best understand the nuances of Third Wave feminism, one must understand how it differs from the ideas which helped shape it. "Additionally, and perhaps because of the significant gains made by (1st and second wave) feminism, young women today experience sexism, racism, homophobia, and classism that is more underground, more insidious, and much more difficult to pinpoint than its previous incarnations. " (8) I will now highlight just three of the many facets of the movement. 1. Sex positivism: 2nd wave feminist thinking tended to err against pornography as detrimental and exploitative to women. Third wave feminists tend to subscribe to the belief that nudity and nude expression, even in pornography, can be empowering to women, so long as it is not exploitative. (2) There are many "3rd" wave feminists who do not share this ideal, but still subscribe to other ideas of 3rd wave feminism. However, sex positivity/positivism is widely practiced by 3rd wave feminists. This difference was analyzed well by Gayle Rubin (Rubin, 1984). To save space, the crux of the analysis can be found in the wiki source below. (3) 2. Transfeminism - transexual, transgender, gender-queer acceptance/advocacy: One stark contrast between previous feminist schools of thought and that of third-wave feminism, is the acceptance and advocacy of transgender and transsexual individuals, as well as gender-queer individuals. 2nd wave feminism was not wholly accepting of LGBTQ individuals who were female, nor was the movement overly interested in championing LGBTQ advocacy, this caused several splinter groups to form during the early stages of the 2nd wave. These groups would contribute to the formation of a more accepting and comprehensive third wave feminist viewpoint. 2nd wave feminism was not accepting of the LGBTQ movement, or those female individuals who were not hetero-normative or binary. (4) 3rd wave feminism takes a sharp divergence from this, and actively champions LGBTQ equality and acceptance. "This way of ordering the world is especially difficult for a generation that has grown up transgender, bisexual, interracial, and knowing and loving people who are racist, sexist, and otherwise afflicted. (Walker 2006b, 22)" (5) 3. Education and dialogue - Third Wave Feminism takes an active role in encouraging discourse within and outside of the various feminist communities. "Outreach education to trans youth has become an increasingly important endeavor as well." Some differences are categorized in this source under Education as a "Right to be Myself". (7) 3rd wave feminism has ushered in several organizations which focus on sexual education and health for women. - WHAM! - Voice - Fearless -Womanist -Students Organizing Students - FURY -YELL (8) B. - What has Third wave feminism done for civil rights: 1. Sex Positivity - "Moral authorities throughout Western history have shaped how we as a society view sex, labeling it as sinful and indecent..." (10) The sex positive aspect of third wave feminism has resulted in the mellinial generation becoming the most accepting of other sexual orientations and genders. "The surprisingly detailed OkCupid dating insights data suggests that over 34% of young men and women have either had a same-sex encounter or would like to " an increase that dovetails nicely with the 81% of people under 30 who now support gay marriage." (11) "A recent survey conducted by University College London found that we (millennials) in general have a broader sexual repertoire, and are more likely to be satisfied with our sex lives than older people. We're less judgmental of kink, and less likely to stigmatize around sex." (10) Of course, this cannot be attributed entirely to third wave feminism, as it is part of the greater struggle for civil rights, however this proves third wave feminism espouses ideas which have had a direct impact on civil rights. 2. Transgender Acceptance/ voice - Transgender identity was seldom talked about prior to the 1990s, but with the rise of gender equality discourse, and a greater examination of what it means to identify as male or female, these issues have come to the forefront. Here are examples of how third wave feminism resulted in the propagation of this civil rights discourse. "Enter jammer girl. A jammer girl is defined as a pre-adolescent or adolescent girl whose identity is not based on physical appearance and passivity, but on health and social activism." (12) Transgender, transsexual, lesbian and gender queer individuals now have a voice in the movement, bringing their issues to light. "thirdR08;wave feminism rejects grand narratives for a feminism that operates as a hermeneutics of critique within a wide array of discursive locations, and replaces attempts at unity with a dynamic and welcoming politics of coalition." (9) "The "grrls" of the third wave have stepped onto the stage as strong and empowered, eschewing victimization and defining feminine beauty for themselves as subjects, not as objects of a sexist patriarchy" (13) There are organizations now funding efforts to bring these civil rights issues more awareness "The RHJI has supported over 50 young women and trans youth-led groups across the country and their diverse range of strategies and tactics." (13) 3. A small list of achievements. 1994: The Gender Equity in Education Act (14) 2000: CBS paid $8 million to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit. 2007: The Gender Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2006 came into effect in the UK. 2013: The first woman to bring a gender discrimination lawsuit in China SOURCES: 1. http://www.jstor.org... 2. Wolf, Naomi. Feminist Fatale: a reply to Camille Paglia. The New Republic. March 16, 1992 3. http://en.wikipedia.org... 4. http://beingfeministblog.wordpress.com... 5. http://www.jstor.org... 6. A. Mackinnon, Catharine. (1991). "Toward A Feminist Theory of the State." Harvard University press. 7. http://web.archive.org... 8. http://pi.library.yorku.ca... 9. http://web.archive.org... 10. http://www.huffingtonpost.com... 11. http://urbanfifth.com... 12. http://school.credoreference.com... 13. http://www.thirdwavefoundation.org... 14. http://www2.ed.gov...