Intersectionality: Why Does it Matter?

Photo Credit: Catherine Butler

Click here to see our first post about intersectionality. Today, we will unpack a few implications for an intersectional approach and talk about why such an approach might be important. 

1) An intersectional approach broadens the discussion. 

Some critics claim that intersectionality narrows the discussion by becoming fixated on identity politics. In reality, the more voices we can bring to the table, the broader our perspective will become. Seeking an intersectional approach welcomes us to look at issues through multiple lenses, not just our own.

Also, those who would criticize intersectionality for being too focused on identity politics miss the foundational concept here: we should not be critical of the voices who raise their perspectives, but should focus on listening, learning, and engaging in the critiques raised. Don't level criticism at the person raising the issue; level criticism at the one causing or contributing to the disparity.

2) An intersectional approach helps us to check our privilege, regardless of who we are.

"Privilege" is not an exercise in absolutes. It is not a matter of "That guy has privilege, that one does not." When it comes to examining privilege, there is a hierarchy involved. Intersectionality reminds us that, even if we are part of a people group that has historically experienced discrimination, we might still have privilege that others don't have.

For example, if LGBTQ advocacy is driven primarily by white, cis-gender, able-bodied gay men, it is possible for the movement to fall out of balance. Yes, the group is composed of people who face discrimination, but there is still some level of privilege in relation to, say, Asian LGBTQ people, or LGBTQ people of color.

An intersectional approach helps us remember to check any privilege we might have and use that privilege, no matter how negligible, to create a platform for those who are more susceptible to discrimination than we are.

3) An intersectional approach helps bring visibility to those who are invisible.

The fact of the matter is, people who are in the minority are often ignored, disregarded, or disproportionately represented. An intersectional approach is an exercise in seeking out those who are not being seen and heard.

It is the exercise of asking, "Who in our community are we leaving out? Are there nuances we are missing, insights to be gained? Are there others whose cause overlaps with our own who we might include?"

This raises the visibility of minority groups within our own circles, but it also draws attention from leaders and policymakers. If we make it our business to seek out the most widely ignored, most frequently disregarded people group in our midst, and if we make that people group a prominent partner in our advocacy, we do a service to them and to us.

4) An intersectional approach ensures that no one gets left behind.

It is possible to make great gains for one people group while leaving the experience of other groups unchanged. Worse, it is possible to make gains for one people group at the expense of or to the detriment of others.

For example, a society could see great gains for African American people in the area of voting rights while Hispanic people face greater scrutiny or more overt discrimination.

In the pursuit of civil rights, it is possible to inadvertently pit the cause of individual groups against one another. One might say, "I am only focused on broadening LGBTQ protections under the law, so I cannot contribute to anti-xenophobia efforts." Or, "I know this law will hurt trans people, but it will not hurt gay people."

There is something to be said about being focused and prioritizing individual contributions to local causes. Of course, as a single person we cannot be involved in every cause. But we must be careful not to send the signal that these efforts are in competition with one another. It is not a case of protecting LGBTQ people OR people of color; we must ultimately seek equality for all.

So, yes, it is acceptable and often necessary to focus our attentions on a specific cause or particular organization. But, we cannot allow ourselves to become insulated or isolated, and we must avoid the human tendency to view other groups as "competition." Instead of listing potential threats from other people groups, we must seek out potential points of commonality.

5) An intersectional approach postures us to be more effective through unity in the midst of diversity.Finally, one of the biggest benefits of an intersectional approach is that it opens up the door for collaboration, partnership, and resource sharing in exciting ways.

If a local LGBTQ advocacy group is composed only of white males, it is not only advocacy of others they lack. They lack the tremendous wealth of knowledge, talents, encouragement, and life to be had through partnership with people of color.

We cannot look at intersectionality as an endless process of self-criticism by which we keep kicking ourselves every time we discover we've left someone out. Instead, we must see this as an unending opportunity to expand our community. This is not an exclusive club where we grudgingly agree to let more people in over time; this is an ever-widening circle of supporters, growing in momentum and potential. We should not say, "Oh great, there is yet another group we must let in." We should say, "What new partners can we work with in unprecedented ways?"

Together is better, they say, and intersectionality as a mindset prepares us to unite meaningfully and effectively.

Intersectionality: What is it?

What is intersectionality?

Today we begin a short series of posts addressing the concept of intersectionality.

First, let's get our heads around the concept. (In the next post, we will look at some implications of this idea)

For our uses here on this blog, intersectionality is a social theory, a particular sensibility... it is a way of thinking about identity and its relationship to power.

There are two basic ideas captured by the concept of intersectionality: 
1) an individual can face discrimination based on more than one aspect of their identity, such as race, class, gender, and sexuality

2) these aspects of identity overlap with one another and are not easily separated

The term intersectionality was first coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in her 1989 essay "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color." In her studies, Crenshaw drew attention to the plight of black women, who were experiencing discrimination on two fronts: sexism based on their gender, and prejudice based on their race.

Crenshaw drew attention to this overlap, calling it intersectionality. She also pointed out that the cause of black women was being overlooked and ignored by both the feminist movement of the time and the anti-racist movement. The cause of "equality for women" and the cause of "racial equality" were operating in separate silos, without any apparent connection.

This cartoon by Catherine Butler captures the concept well:

Discussions of intersectionality first began in reference to women of color, but the term has grown into broader usage as the same phenomena have been observed in relation to different people groups. 

Think about it like this: the more minority groups a person is part of, the more potential for discrimination they face. 

Picture by AChange is Coming

A Hispanic man may face racism because of his race, and xenophobia because he is an immigrant. A gay, Jewish man may face homophobia and discrimination due to his sexuality and also antisemitism because of his Jewishness.

In one of the most frightening examples of intersectional dynamics today, trans women of color face violence and discrimination at rates higher than any other group.

Trans women of color face:
1) Anti-trans prejudice
2) Misogyny and sexism
3) Racism
4) And, due to lack of understanding of trans issues, they may face homophobia too.

There are implications here. In addition to this hierarchy of power when it comes to identity, intersectional experiences often point out disparities in our systems.

Check out this example, from an article on Care2Cause

Often, the problems intersectional experiences reveal is not that individual people are overtly sexist or racist, but that the legal and policy mechanisms we have in place to deal with complaints like, for instance, an immigrant woman who doesn’t speak English trying to report her abusive husband, are stacked against people with a multiple minority identity by, for example, not having interpreters on hand, or not understanding enough about the woman’s particular cultural heritage to understand the best way to deal with her situation.

That, in a nutshell, defines the concept of intersectionality. More to come in subsequent posts. 

Lena Waithe, Thanksgiving, and Master of None

Last month, Lena Waithe became the first African-American woman to receive an Emmy nomination for comedy writing. Having seen the work which garnered this Emmy nod, I am very pleased and not at all surprised. 

Lena Waithe's historic nomination comes for her writing on an episode of Master of None. If you aren't familiar with the series, Master of None is a program on Netflix produced by and starring Aziz Ansari. Primarily, the show follows Dev (played by Ansari), a second-generation Indian immigrant, as he navigates life in New York City.

And, the show is hilarious. (Readers be advised, the show is rated MA for strong language and sexual themes).

Now in its second season, Master of None is no stranger to tackling social issues. Past episodes have covered topics such as religion, race, aging parents, and immigration. 

Episode 8 of season 2 is called "Thanksgiving." The episode tells the story of Denise, as she discovers and comes to grips with her sexuality. Lena Waithe co-wrote the script with Aziz Ansari, using her own life experiences coming out as a lesbian to frame the episode. Aside from writing the script, Lena also stars as Denise, a fictionalized version of herself.

Angela Bassett and Lena Waithe in "Thanksgiving"

This ingenious and powerful episode is told through the portrayal of five different Thanksgivings over the course of 22 years. In a series of scenes, spanning decades of her life, we see landmark moments from Denise's life, including her own personal realization that she is a lesbian, her revelation of this aspect of her identity to friends and family members, and bringing a girlfriend home for the holidays for the first time.

You should watch it. The episode stands alone, telling a story that is unconnected from the rest of the series, so it is possible to enjoy this one episode without committing to the entire series. At this time, Netflix streaming service is the only place to watch.

This recent piece from the LA Times explains:

Waithe wanted to highlight cultural expectations within the black community. Last year, the film “Moonlight” subverted ideas of black masculinity in its story of a young, gay black boy growing up in Florida. Waithe was offering a female perspective on what it means to be black and gay. In the episode, a young Denise opts to wear baggy jeans and a baseball cap instead of a dress.

“Girls get away with it for a while, actually,” Waithe says. “Because it is less taboo for a girl to be a tomboy than it is for a young man to be effeminate. “But that’s why I thought it was so important to show that,” she says, “but also show how a mom, a black mom especially of that generation was like, ‘No. Wear the dress. We’ll make it fit.’ There's that desire for appearances, but there’s not that much worry.” But when it confronts her, whether it’s me coming out or me bringing another girl home, she doesn’t like it too much.”

Guest star Angela Bassett portrays Denise's conservative mother in the episode, also receiving an Emmy nomination for her performance. Bassett was drawn to the role because of her respect for the show in general, but also because she saw the poignant and funny script as a way to generate conversation.

A young Dev and Denise take part in Thanksgiving in an early scene of the episode.

As she grows and learns about her own sexuality, Denise's story is compelling. Equally compelling is the story arc of the mother, as she comes to terms with her daughter's identity. When Bassett and Waithe are together on screen, there are moments of pure electricity.

Aside from the razor-sharp writing, the episode features some brilliant design work, capturing the look and feel of each time period represented. A Jennifer Aniston poster during the height of her Friends fame, discussions of Hilary from Fresh Prince, music videos on MTV, and fashion styles from the era all feature prominently in the episode. These specific references are also drawn directly from Lena's life story (she truly did have a crush on Jennifer Aniston, for example).

When I first watched the Thanksgiving episode with my wife earlier in 2017, I said to myself, "This better win a lot of awards." I was struck by the specificity of the episode. This is not a generic coming-out story (if there could ever be such a thing). This tells the intensely personal story of a young black lesbian woman.

In a joint interview with Aziz Ansari (a fun read, if you want to know how the episode came to be), Lena Waithe told Vulture:

I don’t think my story as a queer black woman is so crazy and random, but it’s very specific. Especially in my community there’s a lot of images in the media or social media about, “Oh, this is what a black lesbian is and what she looks like.” I thought the more specific we could be about it, the more interesting it could be. That’s also what Aziz gravitates toward. He’s like, “How specific can we get?” We felt like it didn’t look like anything I’d seen on TV before, and that’s our litmus test. Have we seen this before? What’s the most honest way to tell this story?

The beauty of telling such a personal story is that it provides a way to address various aspects of the characters' personhood. Intersectionality is a word that might be used for stories that touch many different areas of a person's identity. Aside from telling the story of a young lesbian coming out, the episode tells the story of a black family. We see scenes in which the family discusses OJ Simpson around the dinner table, as well as the case of Sandra Bland. 

The episode packs an emotional punch, deftly handling important and heavy topics. And, the episode is hilarious. A devious Dev, insisting on poking fun at Denise's new girlfriend, and conversations with an outspoken Aunt alongside a blunt grandmother stand out as funny moments.

Watch it, if you are able. And keep an eye out for Lena Waithe. She writes and performs for various shows, and recently wrapped up filming on the upcoming Steven Speilberg film Ready Player One.