Students discuss feminism issues

Feminism discourses are often misconstrued for both men and women, according to the members of Lambda Upsilon Lambda.

The group aimed to combat these misconceptions Tuesday night  at the Latino Cultural Center in a discussion titled “Feminism for Men.” 

IU junior and Lambda Upsilon Lambda member José Medrano Lopez organized the talk in partnership with the sorority Sigma Lambda Upsilon.

“There’s a misconception being a feminist means you have to hate men, and we want to clear that up,” Lopez said.

“I think there’s two sides to it that need to be addressed,” said sophomore Juan-José Jaramillo. “There are men who feel hated by feminists, and there are feminists who actually hate men.”

IU senior Haley Church said she was ostracized by girls in a gender studies class her freshman year because they thought she too willingly conformed to gender roles; Church said she loves to bake. 

“They shamed me for it,” she said.

It’s a reaction IU junior Elias Orfan said is “colossally absurd,” and all too common. He said he thinks a true feminist shouldn’t care.

“Isn’t that the whole point of feminism — inclusion?” Orfan said. “You’re being exclusionary when you set a standard for what a feminist isn’t allowed to do.”

Lillian Casillas-Origel, director of La Casa, said the men were the most active participants in the talk.

She said she thinks both the men and women benefited from the discussion.

“Anytime you understand the lens that another person is looking through, it makes you a better human being,” she said.

Follow reporter Ashley Jenkins on Twitter @ashmorganj.