Feminism and Gay Liberation: Together in Struggle

Abstract

The thesis of this Essay is that any successful movement for equality — indeed, any movement for freedom — for gay people needs the insights and theories of feminism for sustenance and for flourishing. Drawing heavily on the work of radical feminist scholar Ann Scales, and with special emphasis on the importance of feminism to the lives and political aspirations of gay men, the Essay compares the theoretical matrices of feminist legal theory and queer legal theory. By exploring the relevance of issues generally thought of as “feminist issues,” such as pornography and abortion to gay men’s lives, the Essay shows that, rather than abandon feminism as much of queer theory suggests, gay men — and all LGBT people — should embrace feminism as a fundamental component of an ethical movement toward substantive, social, and legal equality.

Keywords: LGBT, Equality, Feminism