INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISMWhat it is and Why You Should Care

PEOPLE ARE MADE UP OF MORE THAN JUST THEIR OUTWARD APPEARANCES...

Think of all of the things that make you who you are – anything that affects the way you feel about a situation or issue, how you navigate your everyday life, and how some of these things can affect the way that other people see or treat you.

Some of the things that affect me: gender identity (specifically not belonging 100% to either male or female gender, but maybe somewhere in between or outside of). Queer. Raised and

confirmed Catholic but presently not practicing or very faithful. Abled. American. White. Southern.

THERE ARE NO TWO ALIKE – EACH PERSON’S “THINGS” ARE AS UNIQUE AS THEIR FINGERPRINTS.

And when we look at a person as a whole, issues tend to affect each person according to their specific “things.” The word we use for that is their intersections.

EXACTLY AS IT SOUNDS, THESE INTERSECTIONS ARE THE POINT AT WHICH THOSE “THINGS” CROSS, THEY MEET, AND THEY AFFECT THE WHOLE PERSON.

Not just the “female” person, or the “black” person. Because… well, there are black, gay, Muslim, educated, female people (or ANY combination of ALL intersections!) who navigate their lives with ALL of those things affecting how they live in all of their unique ways.

That is why, when considering movements, social and political alike, it is so important to consider all of the ways in which all of the people of a group can be affected.

THIS IS WHERE INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM IS CONCERNED…

We just explained a watered-down version of intersections…

But what is feminism?

FEMINISM IS THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY.

There are so many misinterpretations of the word that books can and have been written about them; but contrary to popular belief (a belief that I theorize that scared and incompetent men have perpetuated in attempt to invalidate all of our work) it is not about man-hating, or women taking the exact same spots that men have now and making men the second-class citizens (the way that they had done to women for so long).

It is simply about equality for all people. Feminism also stands up for any issue that men have with the perpetuated patriarchy, as well (such as alimony, child support, custody, domestic violence against men, male rape, the list goes on and on).

THEREFORE, Intersectional Feminism is feminism that advocates for people in consideration of all of their intersections in the struggle forequality for all people.

TOADVOCATE INTERSECTIONAL FAMINISMIs to understand, embrace, and join in the struggle of marginalized groups, even if their fight (especially if their fight) is one that doesn’t affect you.