“The future is female.”

We’ve all heard it, and we’ve all seen it — predominantly on T-shirts, stamped in bold letters and worn with pride. From the corner bookstore in New York City where it was first worn in 1975, to the words of Hillary Clinton as she addressed the U.S. American public after losing the 2016 presidential election, the phrase has become a sensation among feminists.

The slogan, “the future is female,” gained momentous popularity among feminists because the past has not been. Women have historically been economically, socially and sexually disadvantaged. The slogan that empowered generations of feminists slowly evolved into the cornerstone of a movement, ingrained so deeply that it has become an almost indisputable truth.

Until recently.

At a moment when intersectionality and inclusive language are at the heart of discussions around social justice, it is also time to reevaluate slogans that are not inclusive enough. While the intentions behind saying “the future is female” are well-meaning, the expression itself is in many ways at odds with the values of intersectional feminism.

To say “the future is female” is to aspire to a future that inevitably does not include everyone. It does not account for anyone who identifies outside of the male-female binary. Those who identify as queer, trans or non-binary are often not included in imagining this so-called future.

If we dig deeper, the rally cry is rooted not just in the idea that gender is fixed, but also in the notion that gender discrimination is the only injustice worth denouncing. But it is not. Intersectional feminism is about recognizing that we need to challenge all axes of oppression — those pertaining to gender, race, class and disability — because the layers of human identity cannot be disentangled.

Not only does the expression idealize a future that is not inclusive of non-binary gender expressions and identities, but it also evokes an underlying idea of competition between men and women. Perhaps, as Hannah Gadsby suggests, “How about we stop separating the children into opposing teams from day dot? How about we give them, seven to ten years, to consider themselves on the same side?” Not through the erasure of gender, but through radically redefining how we see it, and by challenging other such categories whenever they justify one group being treated as inferior to the other.

This redefinition begins with reassessing the powerful and persisting slogan.

And it matters. For the same reason that inclusive language matters — because the words we choose are the ultimate reflection of whether we live in a society that celebrates diversity of thought and expression, or one that marginalizes those who are different. Because there are people with a passion for social justice who may have not found a space yet.

But, if a gender-binary and heteronormative view on feminism is so deeply ingrained, is it even possible to change?

It would not be the first time. Today’s feminism is no longer just about obvious issues like reproductive rights and domestic violence, but it deals with even more complex and diverse questions. It is also no longer just about suffrage or sexism in the workplace, but on understanding the different dimensions of sexuality and gender.

Our fight today is against toxic masculinity and the prejudices that men face just as much as it is about those that women face. We no longer attach women’s existence to roles of motherhood and caregiving. Finally, slowly but surely, it is becoming not just a western movement but a global one. If it has changed time and time before, it can change again.

So it is time to rethink the ideal that “the future is female” advocates for. Not out of a place of sheltering men from feeling excluded, as many like to argue, but to reaffirm that they too have a stake in the fight for equality. That we all do. That this is everyone’s future and everyone’s fight; queer, trans, non-binary, old, poor, disabled, female, male and everything in between.

This is not an invitation to throw away your T-shirts and remove your stickers, but a reaffirmation that we can do better, that it is on us to create inclusive spaces for everyone. We should stop saying “the future is female,” not out of contempt for an expression that isn’t inclusive enough in today’s standards, but rather with the goal of promoting further evolution of equality.