Last year, people were asking one question — what is a woman? Daily Wire’s, Matt Walsh made a documentary asking people that very question.
I haven’t watched What Is A Woman? I’ve only seen a great critique from YouTuber, Jessie Gender.
Through parody, Jessie Gender explored gender norms and steretypes. She also explored the role of patriarchy.
She criticised Walsh’s interview style, including using leading questions and using the Maasai tribe to enforce traditional gender roles. What Walsh failed to admit was that life for Maasai women is oppressive.
Most Maasai women aren’t educated. According to Maasai Girl Education, only 48% of girls are enrolled in primary education. Only 10% enrol in secondary education.
Even more shocking, when a girl hits puberty (11 to 13), Maasai girls are subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM).
The Maasai tribe sees gender as more black and white than the West. Women are also treated as second class citizens. So ot beats me why Walsh used them to reinforce his arguments.
Dictionary expands definition of ‘woman’
Different dictionaries have different definitions for ‘woman’.
Merriam – Webster defines ‘woman’ as:
a. An adult female person
b. a woman belonging to a particularly category (as by birth, residence, membership or occupation) — usually used in combination
Cambridge Dictionary has a more expansive definition:
an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.
Don’t use motherhood as a means to exclude
One contention about the definition of woman is motherhood. ‘Women have the ability to bear children!’, conservatives boom.
People are going to be annoyed by these cliches, but:
- What about cis women that are infertile?
- What about women that will never get into a stable (straight) relationship to have a child naturally?
- What about women who have fertility issues because they’re intersex?
- What about aromantic asexual woman who never enters a straight relationship?
- Is it still OK for lesbian/ homoromantic and other women who love women (wlw) to seek IVF to have a baby?
I think the sudden obsession about motherhood is deliberately heteronormative. Something some women will never be.
I think that’s by design…
This is an attack on LGBTQ+ people as a whole
Trigger warning: this part of the post deals with gun voilence and homophobia. Please proceed with caution or stop reading this post altogeter.
Basing gender debate on stereotypes is an attack on LGBTQ+ people. It’s no coincidence that the gender debate has coincided with fearmongering over drag queens.
It’s also no coincidence that same – sex marriage was temporarily on shaky ground in the U.S. And, while conservatives can’t be blamed, five people were gunned down at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado last November.
Yes, yes, the shooter who I won’t name) is non – binary. They also have a very homophobic father.
Like the aftermath of Pulse Nightclub massacre in 2016, pastors praised the murders at Club Q.
LGBTQ+ people, especially in the US, are in dangerous and uncertain territory. This is why I don’t understand how LGBTQ+ people who agree with people who are transphobic. Be careful!
I believe that there is a backlash against the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s hope it doesn’t result in LGBTQ+ rights being erased.
What do you think? What’s your view on Matt Walsh’s documentary? What about the state of LGBTQ+ rights in the West? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
