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3rd wave feminism has made notable progress for civil rights

Before I begin my rebuttal, I would like to thank Con for engaging in this debate, and offering a rebuttal to my assertions. First, Con neglected to acknowledge where I stressed the significance of the contributions toward Third Wave Feminism which were championed by less accepted, earlier feminist thinkers who were divergent from 2nd wave feminism. Such as sex positive Feminism, which was not accepted as mainstream until the Third Wave arose. "Sex Positive Feminism (http://en.wikipedia.org......) began in the 1980s and the Free-Love movement is from the 1960's however Third wave is presented as a 90's movement," Con makes this statement as if the three movements are mutually exclusive. The fact remains that sex-positive feminism was not an accepted widely until Third Wave feminism arose. Con's own source highlights this reality. " Some became involved in the sex-positive feminist movement in response to efforts by anti-pornography feminists, such as Catharine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, Robin Morgan and Dorchen Leidholdt," (each of the examples given are 2nd wave feminists) (1) Further, it was not until the 90's that these movements gained the momentum needed to continue the progressive discourse. This time is often referred to as the "Feminist Sex Wars", and it is the crucible from which the third wave was born. Also considered part of the third wave is sex-positivity, a celebration of sexuality as a positive aspect of life, with broader definitions of what sex means and what oppression and empowerment may imply in the context of sex. For example, many third-wave feminists have reconsidered the opposition to pornography and sex work of the second wave, and challenge existing beliefs that participants in pornography and sex work are always being exploited. (2) To say sex positivity hasn't seen notable progress in the last 20 years is to ignore observable, documented facts to the contrary. "Rebecca Walker coined the term "third-wave feminism" in a 1992 essay." In order to label a group of movements which were influential, yet separate from the second wave movement. Con also assumes that the movement only began upon the creation of the "term" rather than the term having been created to help define a series of similar movements. "The roots of the third wave began, however, in the mid-1980s. Feminist leaders rooted in the second wave called for a new subjectivity in feminist voice. They sought to negotiate prominent space within feminist thought for consideration of race-related subjectivities." (3) In the essay, Walker, a black woman, explained how second wave feminism continued the marginalization of non heterosexual women and black women. "For many second-wave feminists, non-heterosexual women were seen as an embarrassment to the movement. The great feminist activist Betty Friedan, for example, coined the term "lavender menace" in 1969 to refer to what she considered the harmful perception that feminists are lesbians. She later apologized for the remark, but it accurately reflected the insecurities of a movement that was still very heteronormative in many ways." (4) As the above quote and source illustrate, issues facing women of color and transsexual, transgender and non-binary orientations, were not well represented until the third wave arose in the early 90's. Con claims - "The sex positive aspect of third wave feminism has resulted in the mellinial generation becoming the most accepting of other sexual orientations and genders." is unsupported... Because "other major occurrences and movements that happened prior to the birth of 3rd wave feminism." Con ignores the reality that these movements were not accepted or practiced until the rise of third wave feminism. Con's own arguments against the Third Wave's influence have been used against the emergence of the second wave, over a century ago. "The "new" feminism that emerged among the citified, educated daughters of the 1910s embraced the modernist impulse to leave the past behind. "Women, if you want to realize yourselves," Mina Loy wrote in her 1914 Feminist Manifesto, "the lies of centuries have got to be discarded. . . . Nothing short of Absolute Demolition will bring about reform." (5) This rather detailed essay explores how second wave feminism formed, despite the resistance of those who supported the status quo. "The new consumer culture substituted sexual liberation for political power, promoted shopping "choices" over real-life options, and promised young women the "freedom" to display their bodies, smoke and drink with the boys, and adopt the male perspective. As the New York Times noted approvingly in 1922, the modern girl "take[s] a man"s view as her mother never could." (5) By this analysis, the emergence of second wave feminism was marred by the consumerism and the adoption of "male" traits by flappers, in order to become "equal". Third wave feminism rejects the "male and female" roles, and instead allows each individual to choose their own gender role. I include this essay to show how 1st wave feminism evolved into second wave, with significant growing pains, just as second wave later evolved into third wave during the late 80's, thought it was not defined and labeled until the early 90's. Con claims Third Wave feminist beliefs predate the existence of Third wave feminism, which is entirely true, however Con is incorrect when they assume those movements did not evolve into Third Wave Feminism. America was a Capitalist nation long before Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels coined the term in the late 1860s. By Con's logic, America wasn't a capitalist nation until the early 1900s. It is far more often that social movements "begin" before they are "defined". This is the only argument Con has provided on any issue, including the below: "Transgenderism (http://en.wikipedia.org......) has been active for years long prior to the inception of 3rd Wave Feminism" 1. Con again argues that because the term "third wave" came after these movements began in theory, that these movements are not part of the third wave. 2. Con provides no sources, aside from a wiki definition of transgenderism, to support these claims. Con ignores the reality that the transgender feminism movement was rejected by the second wave, and was only accepted and widely discussed when the third wave arose. "Though second-wave feminism argued for the sex and gender distinction, some feminists believed there was a conflict between transgender identity and the feminist cause; e.g., they believed that male-to-female transition abandoned or devalued female identity, and that trangender people embraced traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Many transgender feminists, however, viewed themselves as contributing to feminism by questioning and subverting gender norms. Third wave and contemporary feminism more greatly accepts transgender people." (6) There have been conflicts with second wave feminist organizations which do not accept transgender individuals or the movement. "Perhaps the most visible site of conflict between feminists and trans women has been the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. The festival ejected a transsexual woman, Nancy Burkholder, in the early 1990s.The activist group Camp Trans formed to protest the "womyn-born-womyn" policy and to advocate for greater acceptance of trans women within the feminist community" (7) To pretend second wave feminism accepted these ideas is contrary to the facts. Third wave, however, embraced them and brought them to the forefront of public discourse. For the small list of achievements: 1. "This is a 2nd wave battle and this is a continuation of that molding instead of a "victory"." Con chooses not to include the date of the newer legislation, which was finished in the early 90's, Con ignored the fact that third wave feminism was instrumental in getting it passed. Con offers no sources to refute this fact, aside from statistics indicating the effort worked. 2. "It is not a product of 3rd wave thinking" It directly bans gender-role stereotyping in the classroom, which is a third wave thought. Con also admits the example "Gender Equality Duty of 2007" fits the BOP. Con offers mostlywiki sources. SOURCES: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org... 2. Johnson, Merri Lisa, ed. (2002). Jane Sexes It Up: True Confessions of Feminist Desire. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows. 3. Hayes Taylor, Kimberly (March 8, 1995). "Feminism reaches the next generation " Walker underscores need for inclusion, change in 'third wave' 4. http://civilliberty.about.com... 5. http://susanfaludi.com... 6. Hines, Sally. TransForming gender: transgender practices of identity, intimacy and care. The Policy Press, 2007. 7. Hand, Michael and Sreedhar, Susanne (2006). "The Ethics of Exclusion: Gender and Politics at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festi