An author and ambassador for Turning Point USA told SDSU audience members that feminism is failing women because it does not give them what it promises – freedom and happiness.

Lily Kate said that women are unhappy by “every available metric” and that it’s a direct consequence of feminism. Last week at an event sponsored by the SDSU TPUSA chapter, she argued that women are not satisfied with the “role or the lifestyle they are given in the modern world.” This leads to women being single longer, having smaller families, and having fewer children than “ever before.”

She said that when women started applying the framing of marxism to feminism, it started to create “enmity between men and women.” She argued that women started to feel that men were oppressing them; “And what are the oppressed supposed to do to the oppressors? Overthrow them, revolt against them, destroy them.” 

Because of this new mindset, feminism started to pit men and women against each other.

“Nobody wants strife,” Kate said, “but feminism’s very framing relies on strife between men and women.”

Kate also told the audience that women having careers causes problems, too. 

“Women entering the workforce created not only a doubly taxable population, but it also created and started devaluing all the jobs,” Kate said.

She notes that feminism makes women give away their “most vibrant and fertile years” just to pursue a “sense of empowerment and freedom.”

Kate told her audience that she does not want to restrict women’s rights, but instead wanted to give women recommendations on how to live a “fulfilling life.” She worries that women are not more free to pursue things that fill their souls. 

Kaid said that modern feminism is manipulative on a cultural and societal level. She believes that feminism targets women who are hurt and at their most vulnerable. If a man doesn’t treat a woman well, they are more susceptible to feminist indoctrination, she argues.

Kate also argued feminists don’t think women have equal value to men. She said that under feminism “women cannot be equal to men unless they have access to abortion.” She said that this mindset tells women they cannot be equal to men unless they have the ability to kill their children.

Feminism values men over women since it values “manly things” and puts women into a “masculine shaped box,” she said. 

“I think it’s a very, very ugly truth that feminism has built a lot of their ideology on,” Kate said. “They already assume that women are unequal to men, and then women have to have all these upgrades and add-ons to be equal.”

She said that because of her faith, she just can’t see it that way. Kate believes that men and women are made in the image of God, which makes them have equal value. 

“I will never subscribe to a movement that is actively encouraging me to give up the very thing that makes me unique. A feminine woman is never going to be as good at being a man as a man is,” Kate said.

But not everybody agreed with Kate’s view on feminism. The president of College Democrats at SDSU, Abigail Fraas, says feminism is equality for all genders, and achieving it by challenging systemic discrimination of women. Fraas appreciates different points of view, but the ideal lifestyle that Kate argues for brings women back to a time where they did not have a choice.

“If it makes you happy, that’s great, but we need to be conscious that just because it makes us personally happy doesn’t necessarily mean that every woman would be happy doing the same,” Fraas said. “(That’s) why the right to choose our lifestyles, as women, is so important.”

There were people who came in during the speech, wearing red costumes reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale and wearing Guy Fawkes masks who entered the room and stood by the doors. They left before they could make a statement.

Overall, Kate’s speech received a positive reaction from the crowd, with many laughing at her jokes and quietly saying ‘Amen’ whenever she was talking.

Anna Hundt, the president of the SDSU Turning Point chapter, said she thought the event went well. She said that the main point of the event was not to attack women, but to think critically on modern feminism.

“We recognize that not everyone will agree with the viewpoints presented, and that’s exactly why events like this are valuable to host,” Hundt said. “Having honest discussion, and even disagreement is essential to learning in college and pursuing the truth.”

Gracie Zeeb, a senior graphic design major, said she was very impressed with the speech.

“I knew the Christian values behind feminism and our view of women and their respected roles, but then coming here tonight I feel like I have a lot more factual data and reasoning behind what we believe,” Zeeb said.

Freshman Aidan Padilla said the speech fulfilled his expectations. Before the event, he thought that feminism doesn’t bring women up, but actually makes men inferior, so he was happy that he agreed with everything that was said.

After her speech, Kate said she wanted female listeners to embrace their femininity, and for male listeners to embrace their masculinity. 

“God has a design for men and women that is both beautiful and fulfilling,” Kate said. “If you spend a lifetime trying to fight against that, you’re going to have a very chaotic life and a very unsatisfying life.”