Mark Ruffalo tells 'ignorant' people who aren't feminists to 'kiss my a**'

The actor posted a barnstorming appraisal of the importance of feminism on his Tumblr page

Mark Ruffalo is big on campaigning (Rex Features)

Mark Ruffalo has proved that he's capable of doing more than exploding out of his clothes when he's angry.

The Avengers actor, who plays the Hulk, posted an eloquent retort to people who said they weren't feminists, saying that disregarding the equal-rights movement meant people were degrading the victims of rape and suffrage pioneers.

The post on his Tumblr, entitled "My response to the 'I am not a feminist' internet phenomenon", was written by blogger Libby Ann Bruce a year ago and explains that rejecting feminism is a slap in the face to campaigners.

"First of all, it's clear you don't know what feminism is. But I'm not going to explain it to you. You can google it. To quote an old friend, 'I'm not the feminist babysitter."

The post goes on to present the strong argument for feminism.

It reads: "You're insulting every woman who was forcibly restrained in a jail cell with a feeding tube down her throat for your right to vote, less than 100 years ago".

It further argues "you're undermining every woman who fought to make marital rape a crime (it was legal until 1993)."

It concludes: "In short, kiss my ass you ignorant little jerks."

Originally posted by Ruffalo in March, the post has gained attention following a Reddit AMA.

Fans have praised the actor's commitment to the cause.

Ruffalo has past form pitching strong pro-feminist arguments. In 2013 he wrote an open letter about his mother being forced to have an illegal abortion, saying that showed women were considered second-class citizens.

The actor uses his Twitter page to discuss big issues, such as fracking, the Trans Pacific Partnership and global drout.