Intersectionality

     I personally identify with being white, middle class, cisgender, female, and bisexual. Each of these work together to simultaneously grant me privilege and affect me with oppression.

     The ability to attend college and contribute to this blog is a privilege itself. My family is not overwhelmingly well-off and figuring out how to pay for each semester has been difficult, but it is not impossible. To think that education beyond high school is not even a plausible option for some is truly humbling. It is unfortunate that education is a privilege rather than a right.

     Another huge privilege comes with my cisgender identity. The first cisgender privilege listed on Killerman’s website had to do with anxiety and fear associated with using public restrooms. I have some issues with anxiety in everyday life which include even raising my hand and speaking in a class, so I can imagine that feeling of fright that comes when engaging in a task that others typically call easy or simple.  My cisgender identity grants me the privilege of not dreading yet another seemingly basic aspect of life.  

     The oppression associated with being female has become increasingly more obvious to me in recent years with one relevant example affecting me each week on campus. A few of the clubs/groups which I attend don’t end until 10pm and take place in the classroom buildings a decent walk away from my dorm. I always walk (rather briskly) back by myself and I always feel a twinge of fear. I consider Fredonia a very safe place yet that nervousness is still present.

      Prior to this week’s readings and discussions I didn’t really have a decent grasp on the concept of intersectionality, but now the connections between privileged and oppressed identities make perfect sense.