"Yes, yes you're oppressed, too": intersectionality of identities

Earlier in the blog I posted a rant about verbs and adjectives, where I expressed my frustration with the words “female”  and “male” being labelled as nouns. I suggested that “adjective” was probably a more apt term for explaining bodies and identities. I refused (and still do) to consider myself a female (n.) because it ignores all the other components of what/who I am. I will consent to being described as female (adj.). In this post and others the concept of intersectionality was introduced. Because it is one of my favourite things to write/read/study about and because I found a text book from a couple of years ago today, I get to write about intersectionality again. The book is from a queer theory class I took in second year and is (creatively) titled A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory (Nikki Sullivan). Below I use the author’s example of “gayness” and “blackness” to write more about intersectionality.

Intersectionality does not just apply to identity, but to experience as well. In the chapter titled “Queer Race”, the author explores the terms “gay black” and “black gay”, in which the former term is the identity that one primarily identifies. These are not her terms; they are real social categories groups of people have created. They are presented as two groups in opposition to each other; race and sexuality as a binary. Traditionally and stereotypically “gayness” and “blackness” have often stood as independent, contrasting qualities. Effeminate gayness contrasts the masculinity supposedly inherent to blackness, and the two identities battle each other out for dominance. As a result, a feuded binary of “black gay” and “gay black” is created.

Are you scratching your head, wondering why identities have to duke each other out for dominant representation in the individual when they are simultaneously all their identities at once? And are you thinking that competing identities would logically lead to competing oppressions? If so, awesome- we’re on the same page. Arguing over “who is more oppressed” is just... illogical and dare I say childish? Playing the "Oppression Olympics" never results in a productive response to oppression and injustice; it assumes that people of both identities do not exist. Gayness and blackness exist together, simultaneously; they interact and intertwine with other identities with every experience. Racism doesn’t exist in a vacuum outside of homophobia, sexism or classism. Everything is overlapping into one huge mess of identities, experiences and oppressions. Identities do not merely add to each other, rather they create unique experiences by occurring all at once.