Dear Amy,

I am encountering a dilemma. I consider myself a feminist activist, and up until now agree for the most part with NOW and other feminist organizations. My quandary is that I disagree 100% with their protests and attacks on the rap artist Eminem. I do not always enjoy his music personally but the idea of a feminist, civil rights organization trying to impose censorship on someone else seems to me to be a double standard. This is the 1st time that I recall this caliber of an attack on an artist from the feminist community, although black and Hispanic rappers have been saying a lot of the same things that Eminem says for years. So this also seems to be a bit of reverse discrimination. I would love to hear your opinion on this.

Thanks,

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

I 100% agree that you are both entitled to your own opinion about Eminem and should feel it's okay to voice this to NOW. It's always important to remember that there are often many feminist opinions, not just one -- and yours proves that. I have mixed feelings about Eminem, but I am not conflicted in opposing NOW's protesting of Eminem's. Personally, I think there is a lot of racism tied into protesting Eminem. Also, I really like some of his lyrics and songs. I think that what you are experiencing is actually a great feminist movement -- because it's when you begin to define feminism on your own terms. I remember when I was working closely with Gloria Steinem and I disagreed with her about something and at the end of it, I realized that I didn't have to back away from my opinion, but rather I could vocalize my opinion because it was likely that others like me were out there. I hope that helps.

Amy