#intersectionality

[cipheramnesia]

We can't reduce our way into an absolute social truth just because we have got a corner of the framework. Society as it stands in the present day contains an incalculable number of overlapping cultures with long and complex histories. These meet and combine and branch and twine and cannot be, for the most part, ripped away from one another through the simple declaration that one specific and contextual experience always contains one specific meaning.

And even more suspect is a declaration that another, opposite experience, although equally specific and contextual, will always contain an opposite meaning - and in particular that these meanings include an implicit binary morality where one experience is beneficial (but contextualized as Good and morally righteous), while the other is malicious (Bad and morally corrupt). For the most part, every element of society contains a mixture of ideas which are all intended to be beneficial but which in practice are both beneficial and malicious and morally neutral. There are certain exceptions, usually tied to attempts at the creation of a uniquely "pure" branch of society, demanding all other branches are pruned. These attempts to extract a unique and absolute social purity are what we commonly find in societies which ultimately attempt to remove all impurities through a variety of acts such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, eugenics, and so on, which is as near as we can come to genuine evil, although as always it ends up with its own social complexities. The way genocide becomes part of a social system is another essay. And the danger of seeking social purity does not preclude the examination of some of the particular strands and social branches and weaves of society, either. In fact, an awareness of the potential hazards in social purity can help to reduce the extent of bias over the relative importance of these varying social components. Sometimes they may be expressed in a simplified manner, so long as we are mindful that the simplification of the workings of specific parts of society do not become their singular attributes, lest a considered examination inadvertently become a demand for social purity. Being mindful to avoid social purity ultimately has a role in ensuring a greater range of disenfranchised groups can work in conjunction rather than in opposition.

This also can be used in something like the reverse direction. Reflecting on an absolute statement can lead an individual back to the context and in this way reduce the desire to be immediately oppositional over the many, many conflicting social conditions of many overlapping disenfranchised groups. These two strategies of engagement between groups - to avoid the language of purity, and also to avoid reactive opposition - should offer a valuable tool towards more unified opposition to systemic oppression.

So for example the statement that all forms of "subculture x" are morally negative for "group a" and morally positive for "group b," is a loaded statement of social purity. Reactive statements often will include something like the first statement being wrong (technically and morally) about groups a and/or b and/or culture x, and go on to explain in detail all the ways this is wrong. This can ultimately become its own socially pure position, leading to an irreconcilable opposition.

However, if one or both groups is willing to dig into the context of the socially pure idea, ideally befofe the positions become entrenched, and without ascribing wrongdoing to members of the equally disenfranchised but conflicted groups, then it can become possible to relatively quickly unpack the deeper contexts where both groups find a commonality of experience vis a vis systemic oppression and shared history.

These kinds of schisms along ideological purity lines are common, and in many cases are barely more substantive than a minor variation in language or misinterpreted word or simple lack of experience. Only the most deeply entrenched conflicts between disenfranchised groups will need such a severe amount of negotiation and contextualization. Now more than ever, being able to efficiently resolve internal conflicts has an important role in our shared survival.

[liminityy]

the nazi party has gained power over the strongest military in the world

[guardianspirits13]

Decided to redraw my Candle Girls from last holiday season, and a new friend of theirs that someone suggested I include- Kwanzaa!

Once again, happy candle month to all who celebrate!

[felucians]

Nex Benedict's death wasn't just for being transgender, it was for being native too. 2 Spirits are revered in many native cultures and it is a native-specific identity. This wasn't just a hate crime against trans & NB individuals, this was also a hate crime against Natives of Turtle Island.

You cannot separate Nex's trans identity from their native identity - this is a case of MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirits).

Native children being killed at school is nothing new, so it's equally important to talk about Nex's native identity and being intersectional, this is a devastating tragedy for indigenous people, the queer community & especially those of us who are both indigenous and queer.

May Nex rest in peace 🪶

[sunbeamedskies]

If you see articles and tweets about how the Star of David is now a symbol of fascism and think to yourself "maybe they have a point," then whatever you define as your antizionism has absolutely crossed the line into antisemitism

The Star of David is one of the most important symbols in Judaism. The fact that it is on the flag of Israel does not make it fascist. The government of Israel is separate from the symbol. Labeling such a widely used symbol by a marginalized people as fascist is incredibly dangerous and seeks to conflate Jews as a whole with the Israeli government- something antizionists continually claim people shouldn't do. So why are some doing it?

High control groups slowly ease you into believing nonsensical things. They provide "reasoning" and "logic" which goes largely unchallenged within echo chambers. People in these echo chambers are prone to believing it because they start to see it as real logic instead of bigoted, twisted reasoning. Even otherwise intelligent people can fall for their prejudices as they begin to view it as a form of justice

It is a fantasy that high control group leaders go from 0 to 100 in five minutes or refuse to answer any questions- they are usually much more manipulative

Please confront your biases. The Jews are tired

[userboxesandstuff]

I think it's stupid that people won't believe the "out group" will help them.

Perisex people can be allies to intersex people

Cis people can be allies to trans people

Non queer people can be allies to the queer community

Transmasc and transfems and transneutrals all help each other

Men can be allies to women

White people can be allies to black, brown, hispanic, asian, and native people

Abled bodied people can be allies to physically disabled people

Neurotypicals can be allies to neurodivergent people, whether that's toward intellectual disability, mental health, learning disability, cognitive disability or other stuff

We're all in this fight together: don't forget it. Be an ally to the groups you're not a part of. Help people you see needing help.

[slicedcheesegremlin]

Suddenly being hit with a massive wave of hate against trans men for some reason. I'm MtF, but if you hate trans men or have some bad take about them then just block me right now. idc how many followers i lose over this, it's awful as fuck. i'm literally dating one and he's nothing like anything u ppl are saying

[liminalweirdo]

"We all deserve the right to protect and keep ourselves safe. Implementing a mask ban is not only an infringement on our human rights but also extremely ableist and inconsiderate of those disabled or immunocompromised.

. . .

About 1 in 5 adult New Yorkers have a disability. If a mask ban were to be implemented, spaces such as stores and restaurants might ban masking or set up mask-removal policy. That’s 1 in 5 adults no longer able to shop in public along with others, or participate in gatherings.

Forcing immunocompromised people to remove their face masks would likely violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the New York State Human Rights Law. As a member of ACT UP NY, it’s always my goal to fight for human rights such as healthcare.

Those that are HIV+ are 8% more likely to be hospitalized due to COVlD than those that aren’t and are also at an increased risk of developing Long COVlD.

Masking SAVES LIVES. Masking is community care.”

Behind the Powecom KN95 is Serita @_seritasargent_ and her friend Bri’anna @lanoirede.jpg holding the #StopMaskBans sign.

MaskTogetherAmerica encourages everyone to speak up and write to elected officials to demand they oppose the anti-mask bills S9867/A10057 and S9194! We need to defend our right to masks.

[starry-ace]

“The Barbie movie is like basic gender studies 101. It’s like the bare minimum for feminism”

YEAH SOME PEOPLE HAVENT TAKEN GENDER STUDIES 101 AND WOULDNT YOU AGREE WE ARE CURRENTLY AT LESS THAN THE BARE MINIMUM FOR FEMINISM?

things do not need to be perfect to be good. You cannot teach someone intersectionality if that person has not heard of bare minimum feminism. You might be on step 100 but just because you started earlier does not mean that everyone can jump to your level. They have to climb the stairs too. And the people at the top yelling down to the people at the bottom that being at the bottom is bad, they need to be at the top, IT DOES NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO CLIMB UP.

[ash-the-fluffy-cat]

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say black lives matter

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say disabled lives matter

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say First Nations lives matter

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say neurodivergent lives matter

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say women’s health matters

You don’t get to say queer lives matter if you don’t say ANY other marginalized communities’ lives matter

Intersectional identities are here and won’t go away

[origami-butterfly]

I know people are angry about predstrogen's ban right now- as they should be. But I really wish more people were talking about Nex Benedict's murder.

They were my age. Not even out of school. And they were murdered. Not "passed away" or "left us" murdered.

And I am so, so angry that this still happens. People will say our world is more accepting and that we don't need to fight anymore, when clearly we do! And I don't want to stop fighting until the world is a safe place for trans kids and trans elders.

So don't forget them. Their name was Nex Benedict.

Edit- important things from the notes:

Nex was indigenous. This is an intersectional hate crime.

Nex used he/him with friends and they/them with family, so I think he used he/they with a preference for he/him.

His murder has been called a suicide. It is very clearly not a suicide.

His name was Nex Benedict

[floralfemmes]

white lesbians tend to fail to comprehend the existence of lesbians of colour

when they think of the lesbian community, they think of their fellow white lesbians

that's part of why lesbians of colour get accused of lesbophobia when we talk about racism in the lesbian community. because they see us as outsiders attacking a community we don't belong to, rather than community members addressing a widespread issue that impacts us every single day

it's a very similar experience for Jewish and Muslim lesbians. people believe there is an inherent conflict between our faith and our lesbianism, so we are discounted from lesbian spaces and conversations

so when Jewish and Muslim lesbians talk about islamophobia and antisemitism in the lesbian community, we are again accused of lesbophobia, because we aren't seen as members of the community. people who know nothing about our religions decide that we can't be Muslim and gay or Jewish and gay.

being a brown Muslim lesbian, I experience this regularly. white lesbians don't see me as one of them, so any critique that I have of their racism/islamophobia/antisemitism is dismissed as a lesbophobic attack from outside the community

I'm tired of the whiteness of so many lesbian spaces. I'm tired of being ignored and dismissed and excluded and vilified and told who I can and can't be

but I'm so grateful for my fellow lesbians of colour, my fellow Muslim lesbians, and the Jewish lesbians that I stand in solidarity with

I wish we didn't have to build our own community to escape the white supremacy, but I'm so glad that we have each other. that we support each other when the white lesbian community excludes us

we're still here. we always have been, and we always will be.

[h1biplvm]

Sit down, minority! This person who knows nothing about your community and is fueled with misinformation is gonna explain to you how your body works!

[thisisthinprivilege]

Medical fatphobia in trans care

I have been seeing a lot of posts about how bottom/top surgeries have BMI limits. I looked into it a little bit and it does indeed exist for many providers (I've seen a limit of 32 BMI for top surgery, for instance). Trans folks, there is no medical justification for BMI limits for top or bottom surgery beyond the pearl-clutching surgery centers do about offering fat people any kind of surgery (like that fat people have a greater risk of infection/bad wound healing, are harder to safely anesthetize, etc).

I'm married to a medical doctor and posed the question about what could justify BMI limits for top or bottom surgery, and my spouse replied, "The only justification I can think of is that most anesthesiologists lack training in putting fat people safely under and surgery centers and surgeons don't want to take on the extra risk for legal reasons. There's no special reason top or bottom surgery would be riskier for fat people."

If you want to get your stomach amputated as a fat person you can find a willing surgeon and trained anesthesiologist anywhere, any time of the week, heck, your doctor has been probably dying for you to ask them to get stomach amputation surgery and has a half-dozen options ready and waiting.

But fatness is used as a barrier to getting gender-affirming care because having any surgery as a fat person is risky something something. It's straight discrimination, using fatness as an extra hurdle to prevent fat trans people from accessing important and possible life-saving gender-affirming care.

This is what activists mean when we say that intersectionality matters. You can't pick and choose your allyships. We are all connected. If you support trans folks then support fat folks and vice-versa.

-ArteToLife

[agendercryptidlev]

FYI If you're trans, you have to give a shit about trans people who are different than you. You have to give a shit about trans people who identify as a different gender than you, including the one you were assigned at birth. You have to give a shit about trans people in different countries than you. You have to give a shit about trans people who's gender identities you don't understand. You have to give a shit about trans people younger and older than you. You have to give a shit about trans people who pass better or worse than you, and about trans people who are comfortable not passing. You have to give a shit about trans people who are on HRT and trans people who cannot or will not go on HRT. You have to give a shit about trans people who have had multiple affirming surgeries and about trans people who have not and/or will not have any affirming surgeries. You have to give a shit about the trans people you find annoying, embarrassing, and really can't stand.

This is a community not a communime, this fight is about more than just you and people exactly like you, and that's ok.