In Defense of William Moulton Marston:

This is something that's been brewing in my mind for a few days, so it's possibly apt to be somewhat scattered and incoherent.

I was thinking about discussions of Wonder Woman and feminism, and particularly the feminism of Marston. A lot of times, the notion about whether Marston is feminist or pro-feminine superiority gets immediately dismissed by the fact that he a) has a well-documented pornographic kink and b) used a lot of images of women in submission in his comic.

Both are true, of course, but I think they're an over-simplification.

Marston had a kink, clearly. He practiced BDSM, lived in a long term threesome with his wife and another lady, and did all sorts of other things that make for one heck of a sordid biographical read.

But does that really mean he can't be feminist TOO?

I mean, as I see it, it's kind of similar to being a slash or yaoi fangirl. No, being a fan of slash or yaoi doesn't make someone automatically a member of the gay-straight alliance. There are a number of fans who ARE homophobic or heterosexist, who see nothing wrong with exploiting homosexuality to get their rocks off while still voting yes to ban gay marriage. Personally, I find this to be utterly abhorrent, hypocritical and dehumanizing, but I can't deny this sort of thing exists.

But at the same time, being a fan of slash doesn't mean that you can't ALSO be a supporter of homosexual rights without it being an extention of your kinks. By voting "no" on a gay marriage ban, I'm not trying to exert my kink onto reality and increase my opportunity of meeting and watching attractive gay men interact. It means I genuinely believe that a gay marriage ban is cruel, dehumanizing, and ultimately unconstitutional. (This is not an invitation to debate gay marriage in my comment section, moreover, anyone who tries is apt to find their comment deleted. There are many political blogs out there where you can express yourself adequately on the subject, thank you.)

Marston had a kink, yes. But he also had a long career in which he expressed publically and academically a very pro-feminist view. Do I agree with everything he says? Of course not. To be honest, I think a lot of it is complete and utter tripe that goes on to place my sex on some sort of ridiculous, contradictory, glamorized pedestal.

But I disagree with Andrea Dworkin and Catharine McKinnon, as well. Marston, to me, is another extreme viewpoint that, while very different than the other mentioned feminists, is similarly one I do not share. That doesn't mean that he is not, in his own way, a feminist. I believe that his body of work is itself indicative that it's more than a kink for him.

Finally, while, yes, Marston's comics did heavily feature women, particularly Diana, in bondage and submissive positions, it also always, invariably, showed her breaking free.