If you want sexual equality why would you ever join an explicitly sex-biased movement? Whether it's feminism or masculism does it make any sense to advocate explicitly for just one sex if your goal is justice and equality for both? This has tended to be my thinking for a while now, but recently I thought I'd turn that around and instead ask, if a legitimate sex-biased movement for sexual equality did exist, what would it look like?
Early Christian philosophers asked if there could be such a thing as a just war, or if all war is inherently wrong. Some came up with a qualified "yes". War could be right, if it was fought for a good cause but in addition it must do little harm and considerable good. Now in the sex war the sides are not men and women in two disjoint groups, but rather those two groups are the targets, or the land fought over. Its about whose concepts of gender will come to be accepted by society, including people who never worry about these issues.
I am not literally questioning whether struggling against gender injustice is right or not. I take it for granted that it is. I am questioning to what extent it is legitimate to deliberately use a sex-biased approach to sexual equality on a "the ends justify the means" basis. This is the issue at the heart of the original just war concept. Does a goal of peace justify violence? Does equality justify bias? Here are my criteria for a sex-biased sexual equality movement then, where this bias might be justifiable.
1. Have knowledge of both sexes' issues and experiences
2. Try to objectively assess the issues and ensure that the one sex you advocate for is significantly disadvantaged
3. Don't scapegoat or blame the other sex
4. Do no harm. Don't introduce 'reverse' sexism or 'affirmative' action
5. Consider the movement to be short term with limited goals and aims.
6. Reject ideas based on sexual exclusivity and divisiveness, e.g. that "only women can really be feminists"
7. Carefully distance yourself from those who would usurp the movement or use its name for sexist ends.
8. Ensure there is no way to achieve your goals through a movement without an explicit sex-bias.
In putting together the list I am trying to think over my reasons for not identifying as a masculist. IMO feminism has failed on every single one of these criteria, and on most it failed even from its earliest beginnings. What of the men's movement? Have they learned from the mistakes of feminism? I think they have as far as the first four points go. I think they have problems with the last four points.
1. Have knowledge of both sexes' issues and experiences