I hear a lot of talk these days about Sarah Palin's feminism, or lack thereof. This makes me extremely uncomfortable. I've always thought of "feminist" as a label one can claim for one's self. If Palin chooses to call herself a feminist, who am I to call her wrong? The real question here is "Who am I", because if "feminism" means agreeing with Sarah Palin's opinions, I clearly need to find a new label.

Because I am a feminist, I listen. I listen not just to the people I think are important, but to everyone I can. Because I'm a feminist, I'm optimistic about people's abilities to make decisions about their lives and their bodies. Because I am a feminist, I understand that I must express my opinions with the same respect with which I want them to be considered. Because I'm a feminist, I believe that information and education can go a long way to improve our lives individually and in communities, and I believe that making information a commodity, available only to those who can purchase it, is inherently wrong. Because I'm a feminist, I believe rich people are no more deserving of the best healthcare this country can provide than poor people. Because I'm a feminist, I believe that while completely blind justice might be impossible in practice, we cannot tolerate peeking under the blindfold. Because I'm a feminist, I believe that all people deserve to live on a healthy and beautiful planet, and that we all have the responsibility to make this possible. Because I'm a feminist, I believe that America is about meeting the needs of as many of its people as possible, not just the needs of those in charge.

When I think about what feminism means to me, from what (admittedly little) I know of Sarah Palin, she seems to have nothing to do with it. The people in my community of feminism share my values of equality and compassion and respect.

So Sarah Palin can be a kind of a feminist if she wants. She can be a feminist amongst elite, white, Christian, conservative men and women. She can push their issues. She can represent them. But she does not belong to my feminism. She does not belong to the feminism of the majority of women, and many men, too, in the United States. Claiming her vagina, claiming her breasts, claiming her lipstick and claiming the word "feminism" does not and cannot make her represent us, our beliefs, and our values.

I applaud the work I've already seen, and join in chorus with men and women around the country. I will not vote for Sarah Palin in November. She does not represent me.

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