It is 2016 and for every dollar I earn women will only earn 80 cents for the exact samework…until my employer finds out that I'm gay, and that factor goes further into question. It is 2016, and persons of color are still disproportionally affected by institutional violence for what statistically only seems to be because of the color of their skin. It is 2016: women have had the constitutional right to vote for almost a century and still vote in greater numbers than men, yet we still live in a male-dominated government that consistently ignores a woman's right to choose and her humanity in sexual assault cases like the recent Brock Turner case. It is 2016, women consist of a majority of Americans, and are treated as second-class citizens.

I am a feminist. I have been told that I cannot be a feminist because I am a man and that I "wouldn't understand women's issues," which in part, is true because I am not a woman; however, anyone can learn about issues that aren't facing them and how to fight against them. I have been told that I shouldn't be a feminist because "feminism is a joke": to a majority of people on the Earth, equal rights is not a joke—it's common sense. Worst of all, I have been told that I should not be a feminist because it will "endanger my job prospects." As someone who wants to go into psychology, how does treating people with respect risk my potential to be a helping professional?

I am a feminist because, to me, it's a no-brainer that all humans deserve an equal opportunity to do well with their circumstances. It's a no-brainer economically that we would disadvantage or even exclude large portions of our workforce based on sex, race, sexual orientation, or other factors that have absolutely no correlation with work ethic. I am a feminist because women (and men too!) are still scared to leave their abusive partners (male and female), report their sexual assailants, or do many things for fear of backlash or because they know they will be ignored.

Most importantly, I am a feminist because I have hope. I have hope that we can teach future generations (and currently living people!) about respect, equality, and that our current cultural practices exclude and harm non-straight, white, cisgender men. I have hope that the future is feminist and gives a genuinely equal opportunity to all people regardless of the field. Feminism is a requirement for our society to be the best it can be economically, politically, and even emotionally and mentally.