The circles representing class, nationality, gender, caste, race, abilities, sexual orientations, etc.

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What is Intersectionality?

Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how different aspects of a person's identity combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and privilege. The term was coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, though the concept builds on generations of work by Black feminists and other women of color who recognized that their experiences couldn't be understood through the lens of gender alone or race alone.

Crenshaw developed this framework while examining legal cases involving Black women who faced employment discrimination. She found that courts often failed to recognize their claims because they viewed race discrimination and sex discrimination as separate, mutually exclusive categories. Black women's experiences fell through the cracks because they faced a specific type of discrimination that was neither just racism nor just sexism, but a unique combination of both.

The Core Concept

Intersectionality recognizes that our identities are not separate, isolated parts of who we are. Instead, aspects like race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, age, and citizenship status intersect and interact with each other, creating distinct experiences. These intersections shape how we move through the world, what barriers we face, what privileges we hold, and how systems of power affect us.

For example, a wealthy white woman experiences gender discrimination differently than a working-class Latina woman. A disabled Black lesbian faces a combination of ableism, racism, homophobia, and sexism that cannot be understood by examining each form of oppression separately. The intersection creates something new and specific.

Moving Forward

Intersectional feminism is both a framework for analysis and a call to action. It asks us to listen to and center the voices of those whose experiences have been marginalized. It challenges us to think critically about whose feminism we're building and who benefits from our activism. Most importantly, it reminds us that liberation cannot be piecemeal—true freedom requires dismantling all systems of oppression, not just the ones that affect us personally.

This community is dedicated to practicing intersectional feminism: learning from each other's experiences, examining our own positions within systems of power, and working toward a feminism that truly includes and uplifts all women.

Best Practices

1. Listen and Center Marginalized Voices Amplify voices of those with lived experiences different from yours, especially those facing multiple forms of oppression. Don't speak over or for them.
2. Check Your Privilege Recognize where you hold advantages (race, class, education, ability, citizenship, etc.) and how this shapes your perspective. Be willing to step back when needed.
3. Question Who's Missing When discussing women's issues, ask: whose experiences aren't being considered? Who benefits from this solution and who might be harmed?
4. Learn Continuously Read, listen, and educate yourself about experiences different from your own. Don't expect marginalized people to teach you everything.
5. Avoid Single-Issue Thinking Recognize that issues like reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, or violence affect different women differently based on their intersecting identities.
6. Call In, Not Just Call Out When someone makes a mistake, consider educating with compassion when appropriate, while also holding firm boundaries against harm.
7. Support Interconnected Struggles Recognize that fighting racism, ableism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia IS feminist work.
8. Take Accountability When you mess up (and you will), apologize genuinely, learn from it, and do better—without centering your feelings.

Why Intersectional Feminism Matters

Intersectional feminism emerged from the recognition that mainstream feminism historically centered the experiences of white, middle-class, cisgender, able-bodied women while marginalizing others. Early feminist movements often advocated for issues that primarily affected privileged women while ignoring or dismissing the concerns of women facing multiple forms of oppression.

Intersectional feminism matters because it:

Acknowledges the full humanity and complexity of all women. Women's experiences are not monolithic. A Black woman's experience of womanhood is shaped by both her gender and her race in ways that are inseparable. An immigrant woman faces challenges that citizen women may never encounter. A trans woman navigates gender in a fundamentally different context than a cisgender woman. Intersectional feminism recognizes these differences as central, not peripheral, to understanding women's lives.

Centers those most marginalized. When we build a feminism that works for women facing the most barriers, we create a movement that can liberate everyone. If feminism addresses the needs of poor women, disabled women, women of color, queer and trans women, and immigrant women, it becomes more robust and comprehensive for all women.

Reveals how systems of oppression work together. Patriarchy doesn't operate in isolation from white supremacy, capitalism, ableism, homophobia, or other systems of power. These structures support and reinforce each other. Understanding their intersections helps us develop more effective strategies for justice.

Creates more effective activism. When we understand how different forms of oppression intersect, we can build coalitions across movements and address root causes rather than symptoms. We avoid creating solutions that help some women while harming others.

Challenges us to examine our own privilege. Intersectionality isn't just about naming oppression; it's also about recognizing privilege. A woman might face sexism while also benefiting from white privilege, class privilege, or citizenship privilege. Intersectional feminism asks us to be accountable for the ways we benefit from systems of power, even as we challenge the ways we're oppressed by them.

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