Matt McGorry Reveals How to Spot a Fake Feminist on Tinder
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Matt McGorry has a theory about how to spot a fake feminist — i.e. a guy who claims to be a feminist in an effort to score points with women — on Tinder.
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In an interview with Cosmopolitan, McGorry reflects upon his experience as a male feminist, conceding that he holds a certain degree of privilege as a white male speaking about women's and LGBT issues. Asked how women can identify men who only pose as feminist, McGorry had this to say:
"Look at how intersectional their feminism is. So if you're going on this date, ask about his issues. If all he's talking about is women, and he's not talking about trans people or has no knowledge or interest in that or the spectrum of gender, that's telling."
McGorry says that, initially, he struggled to understand the importance on inclusiveness when addressing LGBT issues. But friends and advocates encouraged him to expand his worldview — to consider the intersectional elements of feminism as they relate to race, class, and ableism, for example.
If a guy on Tinder shows little to no interest in those issues, "that's probably a pretty good sign that his feminism is made to get laid," McGorry says.
"If your feminism stops at women — and when we say women, we say default 'white women' — and the man has no interest in trying to parse apart what it might mean to be a woman of color versus a white woman or a trans woman or a trans woman of color, I'd say that's a pretty big red flag," McGorry says. "It is probably about getting praise."
[h/t Cosmopolitan]