I am a former feminist and I just wanted to share my thoughts.

The reason I am = former feminist is because I am not one anymore. I was a feminist for a long time and finding this website caused me to do some deep research and I discovered that I was wrong about a lot of things. I want to firstly clarify that I do not think that all men are inherently evil or oppressive, and I think that a lot of feminist philosophy is misguided and does more harm than good. I am not a fan of militant feminism and I think that it is important to have a critical perspective on gender and society. I also do not think that all feminists are “right” or “wrong,” but I do think that there is far too much sexism and anti-male sentiment in feminist discourse.<br><br>I have been lurking here for awhile and I have been reading a lot of your posts. I can see why so many of you are frustrated about the double standards that cause women to go unpunished for crimes they commit against men, and why some of you are angry about sexual politics and what you perceive as anti-male sentiment. I have been critical of feminism for some time now and I think that a lot of people are very confused about what feminism is and what it is for. Feminism (at its core) is about advocating for the equality and rights of women in society. Men already have equal rights, and legislation = that (rightfully) protects women from abuse are not discriminatory toward men. I think that it is very reasonable for women to be protected from abuse by their partners, and women are not exempt from punishment for those crimes. (I know that some of you may have had personal experiences where your rights were denied or ignored, but I would think that those are relatively rare instances. And legislation is made to protect people from abuse, not to discriminate against a particular group of people. I am not saying that sexism against men does not exist, but I am saying that I don’t think that feminist ideology is the cause of sexism against men. Feminism is about recognizing and dismantling structural and societal barriers that prevent women from living fulfilling lives without being held back by sexism.)<br><br>I came to this website out of genuine interest and curiosity. I don’t think that all of you are childish or immature and I am thankful for the men and women that have been engaging me in respectful conversation. I believe in the importance of perspective-taking and considering multiple viewpoints before making a decision. I want to thank the people who have been able to do the same and I will continue to read and contemplate your posts and perspectives. I think there is a lot of important information and insight (for women) on this website, and I plan to continue lurking and reading your stories.<br><br>I am happy to chat with anyone who is interested, and I am not here to argue or debate anyone on anything.<br><br>Thank you all for your time =)<br><br>**TL;DR:** I am a former feminist who has been lurking on this sub for some time now, and I am grateful to the men and women who have been engaging me in respectful conversation. I wanted to share my thoughts and perspectives about feminism and sexism.