if you're going to downvote me at least explain why?

I'll take one for the team and explain.

First and foremost you are claiming that a couple of negative comments represent ALL of Reddit. There are 36,000,000 of us. 10 or even 1000 users do not present "all", "most", or really even "some".

Second, you are claiming that each and every comment in your inbox is aimed at you. If I make a comment in the middle of a conversation, I expect to have my inbox flooded with responses because that's how a threaded conversation works. The posters are not concerned with me specifically, but with the conversation.

Third, you are mistaking a personal attack ("brain dead scumfuck") as an attack on your gender rather than an attack on your actions (regardless of if they are right or wrong). That PM (one of the few comments aimed directly at you) went on to justify their insult.

"You are stupid because you are a woman" and "You are stupid because you put your shoes on the wrong foot" are two completely different statements. One is judging your gender, the other is judging your action.

Fourth, you're assuming that the hostility is aimed at the issue of FGM rather than the fact that what should be a genderless issue is being looked at only from the perspective of a single gender.

Reddit isn't hostile to women's issues. We are hostile towards issues that effect both genders (not always equally) but are focused only on how they effect one gender.

I don't speak for all 36,000,000 Redditors but have been around long enough to know how things work. These would be my educated guesses as to why you are being downvoted.

Hope this helps.