Feminism - the word - can give us a handle, a rallying point, a common ground, and help us build a bridge. Why not claim the gift of the word as a place to begin?

The word, and the concept of feminism, was a gift because it gave me a sense of identity and a way of defining how I wished to live my life.

The pure connecting factor is that those of us who describe ourselves as feminists want equal rights for all people.

So, when the discussion about not using the term feminist came up at a conference workshop, I couldn't believe it. The more I listened, the more I felt the need to express my passion about my identity as a feminist.

Our stories are different; our pain is the same.

If we're for one another, we're feminists. The rest is semantics.