Introduction: Misogyny as the Basis of Hatred Toward “Otherness”
While scrolling through my feed of short videos, I came across a person who voiced an idea that felt very intuitive, yet had not been obvious to me at the time. The idea was that in a patriarchal world, men do not so much despise gay men as such; rather, they dislike everything feminine in gay men, because, in fact, men hate women. It seems logical, and one thing follows from another—people are raised and raise others within a patriarchal system, so it is obvious that they hate (by which I mean: objectify, sexualize, exploit, etc.) women. However, I would like to discuss this in more detail.
The Patriarchal System as a “Self-Evident” Reality
To begin with, let us once again clarify what the patriarchal system is and how it affects the individual and society as a whole. It has long been known that patriarchy emerged almost from the moment people began to perceive themselves as such. For our understanding, it is important to determine how people perceive themselves and how they interpret reality. I appreciate how representatives of social constructivism and phenomenology explain the phenomenon of everyday life.
For example, Alfred Schutz speaks of the intersubjective world of reality, which explains how patriarchy reproduces itself. At the same time, a question may arise: why is it so difficult to dismantle the patriarchal system if our everyday life is intersubjective? Here, Edmund Husserl’s concept of the “lifeworld” comes to our aid—the “world into which an individual is born, in which they live, and to which they are forced, in one way or another, to adapt” (quote). Reality is perceived unquestioningly, taken on faith, leaving no room for critical questions or doubt.
This explains well why a system in which men “dominate” is so deeply rooted: an average person most likely cannot even allow themselves to imagine that things could be otherwise, because this is how it is “right,” how it was done before me and how it will be done after me (Okrut, 2006).
Feminism Beyond Myths and the Male Gaze
Let us move on to something more complex—the interpretation of the phenomenon of feminism. The complexity lies, in particular, in the existence of numerous myths about this phenomenon, because it is worth remembering that everything that objectively exists has been “objectively” explained, interpreted, or studied by men. That is, we often encounter explanations of feminism through the prism of the male worldview. I aim to draw attention to alternative interpretations of this social phenomenon.
Feminism as a Worldview and a Social Response to Oppression
It is obvious that feminism cannot be reduced to an activist movement, actions, protests, and the like. Feminism is a worldview. It is an alternative way of seeing the world that emerged quite naturally in response to the oppression of women by men, among others. It developed just as naturally within a social system that eventually led to the formation of the third wave of intersectional feminism, where we have space to raise questions about what sex and gender are and why gender roles exist.
Historical Roots: From Suffragism to Gender Theories
The development of democracy and the intensification of industrialization processes became the impetus for the emergence of suffragism, which marked the beginning of feminist movements. This, in turn, offered the European public of the time a new perspective on everyday matters such as sex, gender, and gender roles. It was feminists of the second wave who began to speak about the relationship between power, sexuality, and gender. In particular, Simone de Beauvoir, in her work The Second Sex, makes the fundamental claim that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” which leads us to the emergence of gender theory, smoothly transitioning into theories of sexuality. Thus, the critique by L. Irigaray raises the issue of the binary opposition between man and woman, instead proposing a departure from viewing woman as something “other” than man, because this is precisely the male gaze upon “non-men” (Postol, 2012).
Sexuality as a Field of Power: Michel Foucault’s Perspective
As Michel Foucault would later write, sex appears as a special instance perceived by the individual as a dominant force. At the same time, it functions as a secret that has fundamental significance for human experience, while also attracting through the power it exercises and the hidden meaning that requires disclosure. Through it, the individual seeks to discover their own identity and liberate what defines their existence. In the conceptual dimension, sex is an ideal point formed by the mechanism of sexuality and its functioning. This means that expressions of diverse sexualities have become resistance to the system of power established by white, cisgender, heterosexual men, who use control over the expression of sexuality as a tool.
Let us be honest: even in heterosexual sex, which patriarchy tolerates as the only “correct” form, men attempt to establish a dominant position over women through various practices—is this not the most obvious manifestation of male power? (Nepriīlii)
Shared Values of Feminism and the LGBTQIA+ Movement
Let us move on to more practical matters that unite feminism and the movement for LGBTQIA+ rights. If we look at the slogans used by activists of both movements, they are, in fact, quite similar. Both speak about the simple possibility of enjoying all those rights that white, cisgender, heterosexual men use every day. Namely: a safe space wherever one may be, visibility in all spheres, and the absence of stigma or any form of discrimination. Thus, the ideological foundation of both the feminist and queer movements lies in the values of equality and solidarity, which define their orientation toward deconstructing patriarchal and heteronormative models of social order.
Patriarchy as a Way of Thinking and a Mechanism for Reproducing Inequality
Analyzing the patriarchal system through the lenses of social constructivism, phenomenology, and feminist theory, one can conclude that patriarchy functions as a way of thinking that is deeply embedded in everyday practices and the intersubjective experience of people. Its stability is ensured precisely by being perceived as a “natural” and “self-evident” order of things. That is why patriarchy not only organizes social relations but also shapes basic notions of norms, morality, and even the very essence of the human being. The phenomenon of misogyny—particularly its manifestations in attitudes toward femininity and everything feminine—serves as one of the key mechanisms for reproducing this system.
Feminism and LGBTQIA+ as a Shared Struggle for Liberation
In this context, feminism emerges not merely as an activist movement but as an alternative way of comprehending reality that challenges patriarchal models of knowledge, power, and identity. Its development—from suffragism to intersectional feminism—demonstrates an evolution from the struggle for formal equality to a deeper critique of social structures that reproduce inequality and violence. Contemporary feminism seeks not only political and legal changes, but also a rethinking of the categories of “sex,” “gender,” and “sexuality” as social constructs.
As Michel Foucault’s ideas show, sexuality is one of the key fields of power through which patriarchy exercises control over the body and identity. Therefore, the struggle for gender and sexual equality is a struggle for liberation from the dominance of the male prism of perceiving the world.
In this sense, the feminist and LGBTQIA+ movements share a common goal—namely, the deconstruction of the patriarchal and heteronormative system. Both movements are united by the aspiration to create a society in which every person has the right to a safe space, visibility, and self-expression without discrimination.
That is why feminists, “by their very nature,” cannot ignore the movement for LGBTQIA+ rights, as doing so would contradict the core idea of feminism as a socio-political movement and a worldview.
Sources:
1. Okrut, M. S. (2006). Everyday Reality: In Search of a Definition. Ukrainian Society, 5(16), 30–41.
2. Postol, O. Ye. (2012). Feminism: Origins and Features of Its Contemporary Stage. Perspectives, (1), 120–126.
3. Khutorna, A. V. (2014). The Evolution of Feminism Through the Prism of Sociological Theorizing. Bulletin of Dnipropetrovsk University. Series: Sociology, 22(24), 151–158.
4. Nepriīlii, O. The Problem of Sexuality in the Philosophy of Michel Foucault. [Student/academic paper, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology]. TNPU.
About the Author:
Oleksandra Malyshevska, researcher, feminist, activist, and a third-year student at Lviv Polytechnic National University, majoring in Sociology.
*This publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Council of Europe.
