How Intersectionality Relates to Identity
The one word that best embodies what I absolutely love about my work as a therapist is intersectionality.
Intersectionality makes me feel motivated to get out of bed and see my counseling clients, even if I'm having an off day and I don't feel like doing much (yes, therapists have off days too!).
What is Intersectionality?
Intersectionality isn't a new term. It was coined in 1989 in a paper by Kimberlé Crenshaw. And before she coined the term, it was around since, well, since humans existed.
Intersectionality refers to all the aspects of humans that make us who we are - our gender, race, faith, sexual orientation, ability, class, etc. Any one of these facets on its own is insufficient to paint a complete picture of who someone is.
How Intersectionality Relates to Identity
It's natural to see then how intersectionality refers to the multifaceted nature of identity. This could refer to the identity of an individual, as well as the identity of a group, such as a family, workplace environment, church, or nation. To see someone's full identity, you must get to know all the facets that make them who they are.
These nuances are what make each of us unique - what makes us us.
Take me for example. Here are some descriptors that apply to me:
White. Straight. Cisgender. Christian. Female.
If that's all you knew about me, you wouldn't know the full picture of who I am.
To color in a little more detail, here are a few additional descriptors that apply to me:
Entrepreneur. Second gen immigrant. Biethnic. Interracially partnered.
Just a few extra words about me color in some more detail. And even then, we've barely scratched the surface of getting to know who I am.
When I meet with folks I work with in counseling, I have a continuous curiosity to discover as many facets of their identity as I can. Finding new intersections in the layers of identity is so exciting for me because it lets me in on just one more piece of who someone is.
This is why intersectionality is the best word to sum up what I love about being a therapist. I just can't stop turning those stones over to see what else I can learn about someone's identity.
What does Intersectionality have to do with Counseling?
Beyond the importance of getting to know the fullness of who someone is, intersectionality also has a much more grim role in counseling.
Kimberlé Crenshaw developed this term in the context of a culture that disproportionally oppresses people at certain intersections more so than others.
Effectively, the more intersections of one's identity that are socially and historically marginalized, the greater the amount of oppression that person is likely to experience - often exponentially so.
The more ways a person embodies identities that society has otherized, the more that person has to swim upstream just to arrive at the same rights that may come as a default for others.
For example, generally speaking, women experience greater discrimination than men, and BIPOC individuals experience greater discrimination than white individuals. But BIPOC women are likely to experience even more discrimination than white women or BIPOC men.
If you'd like to learn more about how intersectionality relates to social injustice, I highly recommend watching Kimberlé Crenshaw's TED talk: "The Urgency of Intersectionality."
Because of this, folks who live at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities typically experience greater hardship, and therefore, greater challenges to their mental wellness.
Intersectionality and Faith
I know some folks reading this will give me flak for saying this, but I'm going to call a spade a spade. Historically in white America, faith has been misinterpreted and used as justification for furthering the oppression that happens at these intersections of someone's identity.
I'm not saying that every person of faith ascribes to this mindset. But I do believe societally, faith has been wielded as a weapon of oppression. And we still see this happening in modern times.
I've personally been a participant in faith circles where the oppression of individuals who seem "different" in any form are not only encouraged to comply with the prescribed norm, but are directly harmed for simply expressing aspects of who they are.
Personal reflections on intersectionality
As a woman who is otherwise highly privileged, I've been the recipient of some of this harmful perspective. In my church youth group growing up, I was told that I was "tempting" the boys of the group sexually if I wore a sleeveless shirt, but the boys could walk around without a shirt on if they wanted to. I was also told that I was out of line for speaking up about something I was passionate about and that I was meant to follow the leadership of men, while the boys of the group were encouraged to speak freely and advocate for things they cared about.
All in the name of faith and "God's design."
I'm aware that so many other facets of my identity are highly privileged, and likely have significantly lended power to my capacity to hold onto my voice and speak up.
But I know that for so many other folks this type of oppression is only the tip of the iceberg.
Intersectionality and Social Justice
For example, what about a BIPOC trans woman of faith? What is her experience like in church circles? Unfortunately, it's incredibly difficult to find a safe space of faith that truly fully embraces all people.
It's incredibly important for people of faith who care about justice and equality to also care about intersectionality. You can’t care about one without caring about the other.
If you’d like to learn more about intersectional justice, check out The Center for Intersectional Justice.
I'll kindly step off the stage now to end my passionate rant.
Celebrating the Intersectional Nature of your Identity
From my perspective, society has taken one of the most beautiful aspects of being human - the parts of us that make each of us unique - and used it instead as a weapon.
We've got it all wrong.
The very things that we oppress and marginalize are the aspects of who we are that long to be celebrated.
It doesn't matter who you are, the color of your skin, what country you're from (and how you got here), what size you are, how able your body is, how you identify and express your gender, your sexual orientation, what language you speak, whether you sleep in a warm shelter at night, what job you have, whether you have a partner, or what your faith background is. You are valued and equally deserving of love, access to human rights, and justice.
So whoever you are, whatever facets of your identity make you uniquely you, I hope you find ways to get to know those parts of you and fully celebrate all of who you are.
If you're finding it difficult to do so, I encourage you to seek support. Here are a few support hotlines if you are in need of them:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
Call: 1-800-273-8255
Chat: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
The Trevor Project
thetrevorproject.org
You are also always welcome to contact me to see if I might be able to support you as you journey forward.
