FYI: A lot of my knowledge comes from college courses

Feb 6, 2022

I'm writing this post for any of my viewers who feel a little behind the curve, or a little out of the loop.

When we develop a new interest or passion, there will always be a learning curve. Whether you get really fascinated about geology, fitness, or feminism, you will likely go through a period of time where some conversations are going over your head.

Now obviously with feminism, there is a large extent to which lived experience grants you subject matter expertise. The knowledge that comes from your own experiences is always valid.

But you might hear others reference statistics, people, historical events, or concepts that you are unfamiliar with... That's okay! If anything, see it as a magnifying lens or flashlight to guide you in your learning.

Where I learned a lot of the information in this website...

To offer more context and transparency, I want to make it very clear that a lot of the feminist knowledge I have was developed during my time in the Women's & Gender Studies program at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. It is a huge privilege to attend college and exist within academic spaces, and I want to recognize its role in my journey.

If it hadn't been for the materials lists in syllabi, the curated lesson plans from instructors, and the discussions with classmates, I would not be where I'm at with my feminist knowledge. (And that's not to say I don't still have a long ways to go).

Not everybody can afford to go to college. Not everybody wants or needs to go to college. And not everybody wants or needs to pursue a specific path in higher education related to feminism.

And that's a main reason why I made this website! To transfer the academic knowledge to an open, accessible, and welcoming space.

What have I learned?

This list could obviously go on and on, but here's a few examples of what I've learned in my Women's & Gender Studies courses...

I learned about the experiences of people with disabilities in regard to sexuality. They are often overly-medicalized, fetishized, and asexualized because of their disabilities. As an able-bodied person, the sex lives and sexual identities of people with disabilities is not something I knew a lot about before reading Thomas J. Gershick's "The body, disability, and sexuality".
I learned that many attempts to protect both animals and children are used against Indigenous women to prevent the reproduction and preservation of Indigenous cultures in Elizabeth Rule's "Seals, Selfies, and the Settler State: Indigenous Motherhood and Gendered Violence in Canada".
I learned about (lesser-known) transgender rights events like the Cooper's Do-nuts riot, Dewey's sit-ins, and the Compton Cafeteria Riot. My engagement in public discourse may have educated me about events like Stonewall, but I can thank Susan Stryker's Transgender History for a deeper knowledge of the transgender liberation movement.

Now there's much more where this came from, but I hope this glimpse shows you how my educational background really allowed me to explore a variety of feminisms and related topics in a way I wouldn't be able to on my own.

With so many resources and materials out there, it would've been nearly impossible to know who to read, what theories to look up, what historians' works to look into.

Hopefully you can find some guidance in this website, but feel free to search "WGS course syllabus" in your browser to get other ideas from instructors.