For those of you who don’t know (which I hope for the sake of your sanity is most of you), there is a website out there entitled “Return of Kings.” This website was founded on the ideology which they refer to as “neo-masculinity.”
In other words, the contributors of this site are a group of right-wing, white, cis, hetero men, who believe that masculinity is being threatened by the “modern woman” and homosexuality. Essentially, they are promoting ideals that are the absolute pinnacle of misogyny and prejudice. They promote sexual assault and dehumanization of women. Here are some examples of the lovely content that is available on their site:
If you’re a rational human being, you might need a second to take this all in (I know I did). Yes. This is a real thing that actually exists on the internet in the 21st century. First, let me start off by saying something directly to the men who write these articles:
We don’t actually care about your opinions.
Us modern women don’t care what you say about our bodies. We don’t care whether or not you want to date us. We don’t want to date you. In fact, we don’t even want to be in the same room as you.
You are not kings, but we, certainly, are queens. Always have, always will be. We don’t need your permission to shine; we’ve been doing it for ages now without it.
In honor of our royal coronation, I have re-written your “About” page to reflect our goals:
We Are Queens is a movement for all people, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. It is meant for people worldwide who believe men and women should express their gender identity in any way they see fit.
WAQ aims to usher in an era of equality in which neither men nor women are dominant and no one treats anyone like a lesser human.
Everyone is encouraged to express their opinion as long as it does not infringe on anyone’s human rights.
WAQ Community Beliefs
The ideas and beliefs here are based on intersectional feminist theory. Here are a few of its principal tenets:
1. Men and women are unequivocally equal and should be viewed as such. Biology often does not determine gender identification.
2. Both women and men have a right to opt out of monogamy if it does not suit the mutual needs of both partners.
3. Past traditions and rituals which sought only to further the family unit were often inherently problematic and sexist. They did not allow for the bodily autonomy and basic human freedoms of women.
4. There is nothing problematic about a man presenting as more atypically “feminine.” Men have a right to their emotions and to the expression of sensitivity towards other humans. There is nothing shameful about this.
5. No person’s value is determined solely by their body and their ability to reproduce. This is not only sexist, but also ableist.
6. Sex with multiple partners is okay for anyone as long as the sex is both safe and consensual.
7. Feminism and other social activist groups only wish to better humanity and to create a safer, more inclusive world.
Unlike, Return of Kings, the feminist movement does not wish to take agency or human rights away from anyone. All that it wishes to do is put an end to institutions which have, for too long, oppressed anyone who was not cis, white, hetero, and male. This systematic oppression is not good for anyone of any gender identification. Women should enjoy the same rights and freedoms as their male counter-parts; men should be able to have emotional autonomy and learn how to express themselves in healthy ways. This is the first step to a better world for everyone.
Now, Return of Kings has expressly stated that women and homosexuals are “discouraged” from commenting on their page. However, I think that if you infringe on our basic human rights, we have plenty of license to infringe on your hateful rhetoric. Make sure to let them know how you feel.