'Girl Meets World' star Rowan Blanchard wants more discussion on white vs black feminism

White women experience sexism and inequality differently than black women, Rowan Blanchard said in a post online. The “Girl Meets World” star was responding to a question raised by a fan about feminism.

In a long post on her Instagram page, Blanchard said that feminism should cover a broad range of issues and should not be restricted to sexual assault, gay rights, abortion, rape,domestic violence, equal education, the wage gap, planned parenthood and marriage equality. The actress specifically wanted race and police brutality to be included as issues that feminists should discuss. The actress pointed out that the discrimination women from different ethnic and racial backgrounds experience is not the same.

“The way a black woman experiences sexism and inequality is different from the way a white woman experiences sexism and inequality,” Blanchard posted. She also highlighted that trans-women and Hispanic women also experience different challenges.

Blanchard feels that trans-women are “robbed of their souls” when people tell them that they are not “real women.” The actress explained that while trans-women have to go through such discrimination; they are also one of the most vulnerable sections of the society who are “incredibly at risk when it comes to sexual assault and hate crimes.”

Talking about the issue of race and feminism, Blanchard pointed out that when Amandla Stenberg tried to address the issue in her Instagram post, some people labelled her as an “angry black girl.” Blanchard added that white women are applauded when they raise their voice on the race issue, while black women are quickly told that they are “overreacting or being angry” for talking about the same issue.

Blanchard also expressed her anger at the people who call men names when they wear something feminine. “Gay is simply not an insult,” she said. The actress also talked about how black men tend to be “stereotyped as thugs” when they wear hoods.

The actress felt that discussing issues about feminism from a “one sided view” is not what it should be about. Blanchard said that she would want to see more discussion on the subject and hoped that this discussion leads to some change. The actress had previously talked about gender equality at the UN Women US National Committee 2015 Annual Conference in June.

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