Seems to me despite a certain level of ranting (it is an emotive subject!) that fundamentally we are all saying it boils down to the same thing: the right to choose and live by our choice of lifestyle, and to be treated as equal as humans (not necessarily the same).

I said "But providing the individual (woman, in this instance, but men too) is happy and making a choice to be that way, then surely they are entirely living by feminist statutes"

star_catcher said "From an acutely feminist point of view; it would be wrong of you to deny women the *choice* of submissiveness "

vistana said "I'm a sex-positive feminist, with an emphasis on choice. My vrsion of feminism advocates as a wide a range of personal choice as is practical for both men & women. I choose to engage in a BDSM-oriented relationship"

DrkRvn said "Oppression is a forced state and you don't have any control over what is being done. Being a submissive you still have the option of saying a safeword and everything stops or ending the relationship with your Master. You have a choice in what is being done to you and you choose to endure because you enjoy it"

lily says "I am NOT saying that women shouldn't have careers. I have one myself. I do have a major issue with it being pushed as the only choice"

Actually, slave is the only person who has not specifically used the word 'choice' (or a version of it) in her posts, although she does say
"I see my feminist stance more as a belief in equal rights across the board for men and women", and to my mind that includes choice (although I am allowing myself to interpret...).

So it seems to me we all agree, including agreeing that the fanatical side of feminisim (and for me, any other belief) is harmful to the good side of it, and it making the progress it still needs to make (including in allowing men to have sensible rights).

So - I still feel no need to flame, I feel happy that others are in at least partial agreement with me!