Which is why you should choose your affiliations carefully, especially for a fledgling movement that is still finding its ideological footing. I think men's lib is something that should be seen as closely aligned with, but distinct from, feminism.
What is gender if we don't have a societal idea of gender? Is it nothing? The existence of trans people suggests that many, probably most of us, have an innate yearning for at least a loose idea of gender identity.
I don't want to be part of the feminist movement because I vehemently disagree with some of the things feminists do. I don't want us to be called to task for those things, or have to explain them or implicitly support them. I don't want to have to say "we" when talking about feminist theories or actions.
I disagree. I think progress is largely made at the ballot box and on the airwaves. Academic feminists are not scientists in a lab discovering new things. They're also not leaders of the movement. They're just academics. Over time, some academic points do filter to the broader movement but it's a trickle compared to the action of everyday feminists.
Academic feminism, much like any other "-ism", has little connection to real life and what everyday adherents of the "-ism" believe or do.
I don't factor academic feminism into my thinking at all, because it's so far removed from today's reality on the ground. Feminism is what the majority of feminists make it.
I haven't fully read the article, but just from skimming it, it doesn't really present any solutions, does it? Just "stop being traditionally masculine bro". That's not terribly helpful.
The reason I'm not a feminist is because while feminism says it advocates for equal rights for women, in actuality it's advocating for more power for women.
When women are unfairly discriminated against (which is most of the time), fighting for more power for women is equivalent in outcome to fighting for equal rights. But in those situations where men get the short end of the stick, feminism is supremely unconcerned.
Feminism is not concerned with equality. It is concerned with better outcomes for women. It's a subtle but important difference. And it means it's an ideology that as a man I can mostly support but cannot subscribe to. Feminism does not care that the vast majority of workplace deaths are men. Feminism does not care that boys are failing school at unprecedented rates. It's not their issue, and that's fine, but don't pretend feminism is for everyone. BLM is sympathetic to Indian rights movements but it is not their issue. LGBT+ groups are sympathetic to unions but it is not their issue.
My struggles as a man are not feminism's issue. And that's fine. But we shouldn't pretend otherwise. We need our own group, separate from feminism.