I am a radical feminist and a switch. I think that feminism and BDSM can be a good combination, since being a feminist means being keenly aware of power relationships and how they relate to sexuality. It also means celebrating a woman's right to decide what she wants in a sexual relationship and actively look for it. I consider it a great victory for women that there are so many women and girls here, submissive and dominant, who have thought through what their own sexual needs and desires are and pursued those desires in their relationships, instead of just trying to accommodate the desires of a man.

My opinions about feminists in general are mixed. I think that a lot of feminists are out there doing great work to make our society more accepting of gender differences. I also think that the feminist movement over the years has been overly dominated by upper- and middle- class, straight, white women who have often been dismissive of the concerns of lesbian and bi women, women of color, poor women and trans people (since both MTFs and FTMs have to deal with sexism and misogyny). I can understand why a lot of women are uncomfortable describing themselves as feminists because of these problems, although personally I believe that the movement has the potential to move past its problematic history and grow into a more universal project.

A lot of people here seem to have some misconceptions about what a feminist is. Being a radical or militant feminist does NOT mean wanting to get rid of men or make them slaves to women -- that's being a female separatist, or a male sub with an overactive imagination. A few useful terms:

Liberal feminists are people who believe that men and women should be equal in the eyes of the law, meaning they believe in equal pay laws, reproductive rights, laws against sexual harassment, domestic violence, etc.

Radical feminists believe that patriarchy (the male-dominated hierarchy that largely defines Western culture) is too entrenched to be changed by law alone, and work to change the culture itself, not just the government. A radical feminist might focus on balancing gender representation in the media, organizing anti-sexual assault campaigns on campuses, or encouraging women to accept their bodies as they are.

Womanists are women who believe in some or all of the principles of gender equality, but choose not to identify as feminists because they see the feminist movement as exclusive of gay, trans or non-white women.

Female separatists are feminists who believe that it is destructive for women to have relationships with men, and that all women should be lesbians instead. This was mostly a 1960s/70s movement that hasn't really remained relevant, and it's rare to encounter one these days. As a woman who enjoys dating and sleeping with women, I'm really annoyed by female separatists, because the ones I've encountered online have this obnoxious tendency to co-opt lesbianism for their own purposes without actually being sexually attracted to women themselves. I suspect that a lot of them are really asexual, rather than gay, since the thought that some lesbians actually enjoy sex often seems to bother them.