Being a Feminist and a Humanist

by Patricia K. Willis

I became a Humanist when I was fifteen years old, at the same time I became a feminist. I must admit that it's difficult to separate the two and I have found that those who are true to Humanist principals are also feminists. Indeed it isn't possible to be a Humanist without also being a feminist. Both philosophies abhor inequality, injustice, and advocate egalitarianism. As a matter of fact, I think the feminist community has a natural kinship to the Humanist community because both "isms" deeply regret and make every effort to deny the intrusion of patriarchal religion on our lives.

I was raised Catholic by my mother and father who were both converts. Both bought the whole book, so to speak, as is often the case with Catholic converts. My parents had nine children because Catholicism forbids birth control since Catholicism is inherently a patriarchal structure that commands women to obey men. Having nine children was a great hardship on my mother; my father was a typical patriarchal type who left all child raising to my mother and the two eldest daughters, one of which was myself. Fortunately for me, my mother railed against her injustices and those of others, and helped to create in me a broad and deep sense of fairness. Unfortunately I ran smack up against a great deal of unfairness, or injustices as I see it more politically now, so that I became a feminist and a Humanist before I knew the terms. I remember being granted permission by the mother superior and the rebel priest at my Catholic high school to question authority, Catholic and otherwise. This was during the late 1960's when many Catholic nuns and priests were radicalized, and thanks to them and my parents, so was I. I could not possibly comprehend a Noah's ark, a warrior/thunder god in the sky, or worse yet, that I was going to hell because I ate meat on Friday, the same fate for rapists and murderers. I had especial consternation with men who told me not to worry my "pretty little head" over anything more troubling than just looking pretty. My mother told me that my brains were my greatest asset; I agreed and promised to use them wisely. Being an atheistic feminist meant trouble for me, as you might imagine, so I was in particular need of intelligent ways of fighting rampant sexism and fundamental sectarianism.

Speaking of fundamentalism, my father converted to Catholicism from a Protestant sect called Primitive Baptist when he married my mother. My mother had been raised as a non-practicing Jew by her (anti-) orthodox father who just wanted to get away from some customs he did not believe in and so married my grandmother, a German Lutheran, who believe it or not, claimed to be Jewish to everyone she met and is buried in a Jewish cemetery on Long Island, which I understand is a desecration. Oh well. So many different religious perspectives was beneficial in the sense that I was exposed to a cross-section of Judeo-Christian ethics and I could see some different levels of mythic belief in metaphorical religion and in "revealed truth."

As I have matured in my feminism and Humanism, a result of my academics and my activism, I have been able to detect and define many levels of each. We sometimes think that because we declare ourselves to be one, the other, or both, that we have attained the highest degree of understanding. Yet it seems to be a constant personal struggle to cast off the entrenched but unwelcome socializations that dominant societal structures have made certain that we adhere to in this religious patriarchal culture. It's a difficult but happy struggle so, I would say, "Viva la resistance!" and "Viva las feministas!"

There's much more of course, and I welcome future opportunities that will present themselves as I engage in discussion with and meet more Humanist Celebrants, Humanist Society, and AHA members. At this point however, I believe it's important to recognize Feminist and Humanist members for their work. I feel my responsibility, as Feminist Caucus Chair, is to represent and to lead, in that order. It is not just my ideas I want to put forth, but theirs as well. Therefore I present for you the eloquently expressed ideals of three Feminist Caucus members.

I'm a woman who came to Humanism through the skeptical interrogations of my Mormon father: How do you know? And what does it do for you? I am now adding Humanist of the Year Murray Gell-Mann's question: Why not?

I keep asking those questions, sometimes of the Humanist movement, sometimes of myself, with a goal of living fully as a contributing member of society and of the Humanist movement. The answers I come up with vary with the content and context of the situation. Many times I have been the only woman in a group of Humanist men, an eavesdropper on a discussion (argument?) about some fine point of Humanist philosophy. Sometimes I have been in a group of Humanist women, sharing stories of our lives and challenges as we live with the awareness that we are responsible for ourselves-not the stars, the gods, the tides or the weather-but we who will solve our own dilemmas and fulfill our own dreams. I long to be part of a larger movement, creating a more humanistic world. I despair that there aren't more Humanists to share stories and ideas with.

Then I hear church/state crusader Vashti McCollum's story, and am inspired to act upon my beliefs, to grow intellectually and emotionally, and to continue seeking ways to contribute to the Humanist movement.
~ Paula Rochelle

To be a feminist and a Humanist is to believe in equality across all lines, to believe that it is my responsibility to treat all people as having an equal share in the care of this planet and of those others here who have been denied their portion. It's therefore, my responsibility to fight for equality against the power establishment that exerts control wherever it exists.

All organizations must be headed by officers and directors who are equally divided among male and female members. As a feminist, and a Humanist, I seek not more for one segment of the population than any other-I seek equality for all. Not one of us is free or equal unless all of us are free and equal.
~ Colleen Kelly Johnston

I would say that being a Humanist is knowing that each person is responsible for making his or her own choices, always keeping in mind that we should be careful with others and remember that the earth is our mother and we must protect it. I also think that it's important to work for fairness and justice for all people.
~ Carol Solomon

These statements by Feminist Caucus members express a true belief in Humanism and egalitarianism. They express a hope, even a plea, to others to share the resources, power, prestige, and the difficulties inherent in organizing for lofty social goals. I applaud them and their strength of idealism and their struggles to gain a place for a feminist Humanism. I look forward to working toward these goals with them, all Feminist Caucus members, the Humanist Society, and the AHA.

Patricia K. Willis is chair of the AHA Feminist Caucus. She can be reached at pwill06@coastalnet.com. This article originally appeared in Humanist Living Volume 8, Issue 2 Summer 2005.