It was really great to see President Obama on the cover of Ms. Magazine wearing a “This is what a feminist looks like” t-shirt.

This gives me hope that there is a future for feminism.

A future for a society where there is equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, or any of the other identifying categories our society likes to use as labels.

It makes me proud to live in a community where we have a feminist bookstore, where we take a stand and not only protect the rights of others, but to celebrate our diversity.

It’s great to stand outside by mural on our store and send up prayers for a society where we value our diversity.  Where we can live together in peace.  Where we can learn from each other and learn from view points that are different from our own.

I for one am proud we have many men in our community who are willing to stand up and say “I am proud to be a feminist”.  I am proud to be a part of creating a space of healing where we embrace everyone in our community and we open our hearts and minds to hear and understand their viewpoints.  This is what I believe feminism is all about.

It makes me proud to have a president who is willing to stand up and say “I am a feminist”.  I challenge the men and women in our community to embrace an expansion of how we view feminism.

From Ms. Magazine’s website:

Special Inaugural Issue

Visions for Change
Inside this special issue, we asked feminist leaders and activists-including Kim Gandy, bell hooks, Margaret Cho, Alice Walker, Ani DiFranco, Cynthia Enloe, Dolores Huerta, the editors of Feministing.com and you, our readers-to share their visions of what must be done to move forward at this extraordinary time.