Intersectionality 101
Article By: Kristian Kletke, Content at Gradient Spaces Edited By: Sofie Bédard & Jei SoWhat is Intersectionality?
If you’ve ever taken a sociology or a gender studies course in school, you were likely introduced to the concept of intersectionality, alongside other terms that perhaps made you scratch your head like identity politics & neoliberalism.
What was originally a term used for the legal community has now become a concept across many social justice causes. So, what is intersectionality & why is it important to understand?
Originally coined in the 80’s by a lawyer named Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality was used as a way to look at how the different facets of one’s identity (sex, race, sexual orientation, socio economic standing, etc.), can overlap, work together & compound inequality.
Examples of Intersectionality
Intersectionality exists to understand and address all the potential roadblocks to an individual or group’s wellbeing. It examines intersecting forms of discrimination and acknowledes that when forms of oppression get combined, it compounds and transforms the experience of oppression all together for that individual or group.
There can be many forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, etc that are active and present at the same time depending on your identity or socioeconomic status.
Let’s use an example:
Aliya is Arab, in her early 40s, disabled, and queer
Brianna is a white woman, in her mid 20s, who comes from an affluent background
While Brianna's career might improve with gender equality protections, Aliya may continue to be discriminated against by racism, ageism, and homophobia in the workplace.
As a member of a marginalized group, Aliya doesn’t get to choose whether or not to think about her identity. Brianna, however, has the privilege of ignoring intersectionality if she wants to, simply from being a young, able-bodied, white woman.
Life isn’t the same for everybody.
We all have multiple identities that intersect to make us who we are.
Intersectionality isn’t just about having multiple identities nor is it the simple answer to solving our problems on equality and diversity.
It’s about understanding the domination associated with whiteness, masculinity, and hetrosexuality
It’s about truly engaging with issues around privilege and power by listening to others and examining our own privileges
It’s about asking questions about who may be excluded or negatively affected by our work
Most importantly, it’s about taking measurable actions to invite, include, and amplify the voices and work of marginalized groups.
From the Explain it Like I’m 5 (ELI5) Reddit thread:
Intersectionality Within the Queer Community
Take a stroll through Church St. in Toronto, Davie Village in Van, or look at most queer ERGs (employee resource groups), and you’ll quickly realize a trend - the over-skewed representation of white, gay, cis-gendered men. The spaces designed for women, femmes, and people of colour exist but are much more nuanced even in the largest of cities.
Pride parades perpetuate a specific, “digestible” type of queerness, leaving specific members of our community (usually the most vulnerable) feeling excluded.
To incorporate an intersectional lens in the community, many started to adopt the “Progress Flag”, a redesigned Pride Flag which includes black & brown stripes to represent racialized people, and blue, white & pink for the trans community.
Intersectionality in Tech
Meanwhile in tech, many big players in the industry are becoming increasingly more transparent about their workforce demographic data to hold themselves and others accountable.
It’s a hard win but there’s still a ton of work to be done. Beloved unicorn Wealthsimple releases their progress to their DEI goals every six months. Their latest update is here and they even include a section called “where we fall short”.
Data is limited, disaggregated, and focuses mostly on sex & race, which is a start but has a singular focus on identity. When you add intersectionality into the mix and how many subset communities are represented across different layers of management, the data is truly non-existent. A thoughtful approach to collecting data on 2SLGBTQIA+ populations needs to be taken and accompanied with lived experiences and perspectives.
In order to fuel more diverse talent into a company's pipelines, improve employee engagement/retention, and build products for everyone - leaders must take an intersectional approach to culture.
As appealing as hibiscus kombucha on tap and ping pong tables are, compassionate allies, mentors and institutional support will make employees feel like they can bring their authentic selves to work and has been proven to boost innovation and creativity.
Beyond corporate social responsibility, sometimes the best hyperlocal solutions exist at the individual level. What if every person working in tech took a moment to ask simply: how does my privilege serve me in the work I do? How will I use this privilege to remove barriers for others?
Toni Morrison once said: “I tell my students, 'When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.” These are words to live by.
At Gradient Spaces, we believe that there is not one 2SLGBTQIA+ experience.
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