Reply #60: Had a chat once with my Republican mother-in-law...

[spuddonna]

Somehow it got around to feminism and I said "I'm a feminist."

She looked aghast and said "No you aren't!" and I laughed and said "Oh yes I am! I think you are too!"

She said, "Oh my gosh, why would you say something like that!?"

Now, I was lucky because I knew the answer to all the questions I was about to ask her, and she's ardently pro-choice so it made this easy...

I asked, "Do you believe in freedom of choice, the right to an abortion, the right to make decisions about your own body?"

She said, "Yes."

I asked, "Do you believe that when you worked as a tutor on college that you deserved the same pay as the guys who did it?"

She said, "Yes."

I asked, "You're glad you have the right to vote, right?"

She said, "Well, naturally!"

I said, "Well, you're a feminist then!"

And she said, "No, no! I don't like women 'that way'!"

And I laughed and had to explain to my mother-in-law the difference between feminism and being a lesbian. (!) It was quite bizarre, but she actually said, "I never knew that... I'll have to think this over..." at the end of the conversation. It was like I'd smacked her in the head with a board! lol