He asks something himself instead

Cassie watched as his eyes glanced over the list once more before he put it down on the lecture's long desk. He glanced at her once before turning to their professor and standing.

"Um, Cassie if you don't mind, I have something else I'd like to ask."

Next to him, the girl seemed taken aback before she nodded once, grinning. "Sure! Go ahead, that's a much better idea." Liz gestured for him to speak, waiting for the first male input of the class.

"Thank you," he began, speaking hesitantly. "On the topic of brain seizes; I hope I'm not speaking out of place, but as a guy who's more than happy to help women whenever they need my input, not once has it ever crossed my mind to chastise you for it. However, this is a feminist class and while it is important to discuss the ways women are stigmatized, I wanted to bring up an issue about male equality. After all, true feminism talks about equality between genders, not just empowering women."

The sudden change in pace shocked Liz a little but she nodded anyway, agreeing with the student. "Yes, I'd say that's correct."

He visibly sighed his relief. "Oh, good. Well, I'd like to make the case that since men helping women is so pivotal to her day-to-day life, I just wanted to ask: is it fair that men ask for compensation in return? I mean, some of the decisions we make could literally spell life or **** for some girls."

Pleased that James had chosen a common topic discussed in new wave feminism, Liz gave him a more, accepting smile as she addressed the class. "Yes, I think we can all agree that men have the right to claim that they frequently deserve a little something in exchange for their trouble. But, can someone tell me why this topic is so controversial? Yes, Maribel!"

The girl in question, a tall redhead sitting at the back, spoke up to answer her question. "The issue arises when men ask for something either levels beyond the scope of the question they were asked, or when they ask for something inappropriate in return."

"Yeah!" Kimberly quickly added, "like when I was asked for a blowjob when all I wanted was to know which bra I should buy!"

Taking her cue, a couple of other voices shot out cases of their own, all sharing Maribel's point.

"Oh, come on!" Shouted Cassie, silencing them good. "Don't guys deserve something in return for all the help they provide us?"

At the front of the room, Liz fought the urge to rub her temples. The act would've done wonders to calm her frustration with the girl. "Cassie, I'm not saying we shouldn't give men something in return for their trouble. They deserve it, after all. But there's a difference between giving them a bite of my dessert when I ask whether to get the sundae or the shake and asking foe sexual favors because of the same question."

Cassie didn't find that answer satisfactory. When she retorted, Liz briefly wondered why the girl had enrolled in a feminist course if she was going to argue each and every point. "But who are we do decide if what men want in return is fair? We just agreed that us women occasionally need male input to make decisions in our lives. With that being the case, how can we be the ones to judge whether something is reasonable? Shouldn't men be the ones to decide that for us?"

"Yes, they should!" Liz shot back, her patience now run thin. "And they do!"

At a lost for words and now unsure how to proceed, she shot her "teaching assistant" Kevin a look of distress. Seeing her panic, he nodded once and stood up, ready to address the class.