Hey! I was wondering, what does intersectional feminism mean? I see it a lot and I can’t find a description… thanks in advance!

tiny-personal-university-thing:

Yes!!!

Okay, so when we say intersectional, we are referring to the concept of intersectionalities. Intersectionalities can include gender identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and the likes. The idea is that these identities synergize and work together in interlocking forms of oppression.

So, a white, cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied woman is privileged because she is white, cis, straight and able-bodied, but still marginalized because she is a woman.

Moreover, a black woman who is also cis, straight and able bodied, now has two forms of systematic oppression to deal with: her race AND her gender.

So when you think of intersectional feminism, think of feminism that addresses and respects all aspects of where we come from. It isn’t enough to stand together in our womanhood, as that does a huge disservice to WOC, or women who aren’t straight. We have to recognize how our differences make the path to equality more/less challenging for each of us.

When we say, “if it isn’t intersectional, we don’t want it,” when referring to feminism, we are addressing the racist past of feminism in the 1st and 2nd waves.

I hope that helps clear things up! Great question. If you want to learn more, I would strongly suggest reading “Colonize This!” -Hernández & Rehman. It’s a book of short stories from WOC addressing how WOC have a hard time finding a place in feminism. Amazing read.