feel no connection to the movement. This may
not be solely a 21st-century problem; Susan B.
Anthony famously said, “Our job is not to make
young women grateful. It is to make them ungrateful so they keep going. Gratitude never radicalized anybody.” One challenge the women’s
movement faces today is how to cultivate the
energy arising from that ingratitude while acknowledging the movement’s successes.
New challenges are impacting the move-
ment: The deconstruction of the category of
“woman” and the devolving gender binary
raise questions about whether the women’s
movement needs “woman” to be a stable cat-
egory. The women’s movement also struggles
with the word “feminism.” Statements that
align with feminist principles often begin with
the disclaimer, “I’m not a feminist, but…” Can
the movement reclaim this label? Is it necessary
to do so to move forward as a movement? The
other language problem revolves around the
concept of “choice” — as in “feminism is about
choices,” a (mis)interpretation of feminism
heavily promoted by popular culture. (Viewers
of “Sex and the City,” for example, will never
forget Charlotte insisting, “I choose my choice!
I choose my choice!” when made to feel de-
fensive about giving up her career). The word
“choice” is problematic, because it elides all
power and context, representing an imaginary
world in which all choices are equally acces-
sible, valued, and supported. The notion that
“feminism is about choices” is a total rejection
of the dictum, “The personal is political.” This
version of feminism maintains that all choices
are personal, with no political context or struc-
tural basis for how they are made.
SHMA.COM
Has the Tent Become Too Wide?
JAYSON LITTMAN
Ten years ago, an Internet search for “LGBT Jewish organizations” would turn up few results. Slowly, though, LGBT (lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender) voices from within
the larger Jewish community have pushed for
recognition and equality in every religious denomination and Jewish organization, making
the LGBT social movement the most talked about
“Jewish social issue” in recent memory.
Today, the flourishing LGBT movement
means that most Jews no longer need to
choose between their religion and their sexual
orientation. And, as the Jewish community has
tried to make itself more inclusive of the LGBT
population, it has also begun to grapple with
how best to accommodate a number of other
individuals who identify outside the traditional
LGBT classification. But in attempting to be
welcoming to these new identities, I wonder:
Has the tent become too wide?
Jayson Littman is the
founder of He’bro
( myhebro.com), which
produces and promotes events
for secular and cultural gay
Jews in New York City. Littman
writes on gay Jewish topics
and can be reached at
jayson@myhebro.com.
