Intersectionality: A Call For A New Form Of Sensitivity
by Sanjana Jagarlapudi
The concept of intersectionality is often complicated, as it is hard to understand the struggle of another minority unless you experience their disadvantages first hand. In the U.S. there are many overlapping layers of minorities. Some examples include:
Women of color
Women apart of the LGBTQ+ community
Women of different religions
Women of STEM
The term “intersectionality” was largely created during the civil rights movement, when it was recognized that while contemporary society put people of color at a disadvantage, it affected women of color more disproportionately. Soon the term was broadened and even turned into an area of study. Thus, it became evident that people, not only in the U.S. but all over the world, that were classified as intersectional were forced to endure harsher injustices than those of just one minority group.
Sonia Maribel Sontay Herrera, an indigenous woman and “human rights defender from Guatemala where systematic discrimination against indigenous women has gone on for decades,” writes in a United Nations Women article that after moving to the city, while she “searched for professional work, she immediately encountered racism and sexist stereotypes.” From degrading her personality, disgustingly denying her of respect, and refusing to give her work, to only accepting her for domestic job opportunities, the discrimination she faced displays just a small portion of the struggles other similar minorities must put up with.
Similarly, a passionate lesbian feminist human-rights defender and the director of a “civil society organization working with young people from marginalized communities,” Matcha Phorn-in, explains how many people around the world face a similar type of discrimination. Analysing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on these minorities, she describes how “if you are invisible in everyday life, your needs will not be thought of, let alone addressed, in a crisis situation.” The people that are discriminated against in “normal” society seem to be given little to no representation or aid during times of need, as other people are prioritized over them.
It is no doubt that minorities anywhere around the globe are discriminated against; however, it is incredibly important to recognize that being a part of multiple minority groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, those in poverty, those with disabilities, and those of different religions for example, often requires a different form of sensitivity and representation.
*The main sources for this article are provided by UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/explainer-intersectional-feminism-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook