I’d like to say a great big thank you to Alec Mouhibian for demonstrating so poignantly why we do need gender studies, and the Women’s Center. Because there are still so many people who, like you, believe that any woman who dares to question the status quo is an angry, man-hating, asexual, phallophoic feminazi, we need these institutions more than ever. Kudos, Mr. Mouhibian, your article, however ignorant and offensive, opened up an impassioned dialogue about contemporary feminism, the likes of which I have rarely seen in the pages of the Nexus. Furthermore, your reduction of the remarkably diverse field of gender studies to the out-dated opinions of a radical minority, and your oh-so-casual suggestion that we’ll all be much better off once we accept that rape is a perfectly natural response to biological urges, provided a vivid example of what happens when such dialogue is silenced.

Oh, that reminds me, it looks like we have something in common, Alec — may I call you Alec? The word “rape” turns me on, too. No, not because it rhymes with ape, but because, thanks to feminism, I now feel sexually empowered enough that I can get off on letting the one I love tie me up and fuck me until I scream myself hoarse. I consider that a pretty major victory, considering that I was the victim of what even you, sir, would consider a “real” rape at the tender age of 16, a trauma which I blamed on myself (as so many women do) and declined to share with anyone for longer than I care to admit. But I digress.

Anyway, thanks, Alec, for reminding everyone who reads the Nexus why we still need to talk about gender, sexuality and the imbalance of power in our society. Oh, and for the satisfying chuckle I had over your extraordinary lack of insight into the contemporary female experience, I didn’t really get that Lynard Skynard joke; but “rare victims of real violence” — oh man, now that’s some funny shit right there. Seriously though, no matter how vehemently I disagree with you, I will defend to the death your right to spout your anti-feminist ravings, not only because freedom of speech must apply to all or to none, but also because your laughable caricature of such a complex discipline makes us feminists look so much smarter in comparison. Above all, I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks for your ill-conceived attempt to malign the much-needed and widely appreciated services provided by the Women’s Center, as I can’t help but believe your article was at least partly responsible for the success of said center’s funding initiative. Thank you, Alec Mouhibian: We couldn’t have done it without you.

Adrienne MacIain is a graduate student in dramatic art.