Don’t worry this is not a misogynistic rant; but rather, an overview of the new wave of feminism that is spreading throughout our generation, and hopefully beyond.
Now, if you are not familiar with the term intersectionality, it is basically “a framework designed to explore the dynamic between co-existing identities (e.g. woman, Black) and connected systems of oppression (e.g. patriarchy, white supremacy),” according to Claire. This term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a black woman, with the purpose of pointing out a major flaw in feminism. The feminist movement primarily focuses on the woman identity and on the creation of the social identity equal to its counter part of the man identity. Kimberlé criticizes this perception because of its narrow scope, for women hold many other social identities that carry their own form of discrimination with them. When a woman carries these other discriminated identities, her fight isn’t just about reproductive rights, equal pay, or respect from men. The purpose of intersectionality is to realize that we are not just one identity; rather, we are a composite being made up of all our identities, whether privileged or not.
Kimberlé believed that “a fully developed understanding of how factors such as race and class shape women’s lived experiences, how they interact with gender” would provide a true feminism/womanism movement, according to Claire . This could not be more true today. Our economic status, race, gender, sexuality, abilities, and more identities all interact with each other and are so interconnected, fighting for equality in one area may ignore inequality in another area. And, to me, feminism/womanism is the fight for equity across the board, not just for women, but for men, transgendered people, people of color, disabled people and so many more.
By using the Women’s March as an example, I will demonstrate how the feminist/womanist movement today is dominated by women with a certain set of identities (i.e. white, able, cis) that ignore other social identities held by other women that do not fit their own (i.e. black, disabled, trans).
The Women’s March
One critique of the Women’s March is that the cis, white women present are not fully aware of the struggles non-white women and transwomen fight on top of the discrimination they face from being a women. For example, the pink pussy hats are a strong statement for reproductive rights and normalizing the female reproductive system; however, this form of protests implies that being a woman is directly related to having a vagina, which is not at all what being a women is. Many transwomen felt excluded by this idea as well as non-binary people. As you can see in the picture, many resistance signs equated womanhood with female biology, again, excluding women with more marginalized identities. These critiques are not meant to just tear down people for not being inclusive, but to display how narrow-minded many white feminist are when creating projects to represent women who are not white or not cis. The creator of these hats did not mean to exclude transgender women and non-binary people, but it’s important to note at the same time she did not actively think about the identities EVERY possible woman may also identify have. Another problem with the Women’s March is the lack of support and/or acknowledgement for the women of color present during the march and the lack of support for women of color by white women outside of the march. For example, the Women’s March found millions of women in the streets supporting each other; however, when Black Lives Matter forms a protest, barely any of these women are seen there in support. If you are a women, you should support your fellow woman with her struggles whether or not they related to your gender identity. Being a feminist/womanist is fighting for equity across the board (at least in my opinion). In addition, one woman told Newsweek that when she began a #BLM chant, which no one else would bring up so she had to, they spoke it with less conviction and enthusiasm than the other chants presented. And when BLM Cincinnati asked the Women’s March Cincinnati to change their motto from ‘Hear our vote!’ to ‘Hear our voice!’ due to the former “exclud[ing] marginalized people of all ethnicities and narrows the focus of fighting back to one method.” I believe the foundation of this is the fact that convicted criminals cannot vote in our country for extended periods of time.
This illustrates that many feminsts/womanists in this country are lacking intersectionality of thought and action. This lack of intersectionality can lead us to a female future which neglects the many identities women can have that are also marginalized socially in the United States. So, read up on other social identities, recognize them, accept your mistakes, and most importantly, listen to the women who carry these identities. If you don’t think the future is intersectional, you’ll be left in the past.