New club aims to spread the word about feminism
When some people hear the word “feminism,” they immediately cringe and shut down.
“You’re one of those people?” said Amanda Ratcliffe, a University of Idaho student who said she receives the response often after telling people she’s a feminist.
Ratcliffe is president of the newly reinstated club, Feminist Led Activist Movement to Empower — FLAME. She said feminism has developed a negative connotation to many people, and many misconceptions exist about what exactly feminism is — that many people do not even know what the word “feminism” means.
Ratcliffe said that’s why FLAME exists.
FLAME was previously active for several years on campus, but eventually died out and has ceased to exist at UI for quite some time. This year marks the first year that FLAME is an official university club again, and Ratcliffe said the club has high hopes for its future.
She said while FLAME has a relationship with the Women’s Center, it’s not a part of the center. FLAME is student-run and focuses on promoting equality, she said.
FLAME member Thomas Elder said the club strives to achieve equality “regardless of gender or sexual orientation.”
“We’re all humans, and we should treat each other as such,” he said.
Ratcliffe said FLAME is a discussion-based group. Although Ratcliffe is club president, she wants the club to be more of a team effort than a traditional club with strict hierarchies.
Through discussions, FLAME members will decide together what exactly feminism means to them, and how they want to raise awareness on campus and in the community.
“FLAME is not here to tell you how to be,” Ratcliffe said. “There are no expectations. FLAME is a collaborative student organization that is there to bring awareness to people in the community, to a younger generation, about what feminism is.”
Ratcliffe said one of the main goals of the club is to encourage equity among the sexes, essentially turning the negative, extremist view of feminism on its head.
“We’re trying to change the face of feminism to what it is — positive, gender equality,” she said. “There are so many differences out there that people are not aware of that that’s what we are trying to get out there.”
FLAME welcomes all different viewpoints and backgrounds. Ratcliffe said she welcomes any current student at UI, and although the club’s activities will be mostly focused on raising awareness on campus, the club also aims to raise awareness in the community.
Meetings are held at 5 p.m. every Wednesday in the Women’s Center. Currently, the club has about 20 members, but Ratcliffe said the organization hopes to expand even more in the coming months and reach out to as many people as possible.
“I want the group to be more solution focused,” Ratcliffe said. “Rather than focusing just on the problems. It’s more of, ‘Now what can we do to have a more positive outlook?'”
Kelsey Stevenson can be reached at [email protected]