By Lauren Karnowski, MA, PLPC (in progress)
In celebration of Pride Month, observed annually during the month of June and Juneteenth, honoring the end of slavery in the United States, we are continuing to feature articles highlighting these important topics. This article on intersectionality ties together both LGBTQ+ and race issues.
You may have heard the word intersectionality before and wondered what it means. You may think: “Is this just a trending buzzword?” or “should I even bother to know what it means?” Although the term has seen recent mainstream popularity and was just added to the dictionary in 2017, its roots come from the feminist and Civil Rights movements of the 1960’s. Critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term in 1989 when describing the unique challenges and compounded discrimination faced by Black women taking part in two different movements. Black women in the feminist movement were excluded as issues White women faced took center stage, and Black women in the Civil Rights movement were subjected to sexism. Crenshaw’s use of the term intersectionality highlighted the great need for Black women’s voices to be heard as they advocate for issues that are unique to their overlapping identities of being both Black and female. As for the question of whether you should even bother to know what intersectionality means, the answer is a resounding yes! All people, with and without marginalized identities, benefit from being familiar with the concept this word represents. Being aware of how overlapping identities affects an individual, group of individuals, or organization can lead to greater humanity in us all.
Intersectionality refers to the interconnection of social identities in a person or group of people that combine to create unique modes of discrimination or privilege. For example, in the LGBTQ+ community, a person’s queer identity intersects with their racial identity to produce different experiences of discrimination or privilege. In fact, a recent national survey revealed that LGBTQ people of color are much more likely to encounter discrimination in a variety of settings compared to their White counterparts. Discrimination towards queer identity is compounded by discrimination towards race, creating unique experiences of oppression for LGBTQ people of color compared to White LGBTQ individuals. This compounded discrimination calls for advocacy groups to center their most marginalized identity/identities at the forefront of their platforms. Although the intersectionality of queer identities and racial identities is highlighted here, any category of social identity can intersect with another to create distinctive experiences of discrimination and privilege including but not limited to ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, age, and neurodiversity.
So why are we talking about intersectionality at The Center for Mindfulness & CBT? Well, it is vital for us as therapists to be aware of and sensitive to our clients’ overlapping identities and how these identities may interact to create unique lived experiences. Our clients with multiple marginalized identities are not only subject to systemic oppression (which has been linked to chronic stress, which is a risk factor for most mental health disorders), but they also have likely experienced personal instances of discrimination (aka, episodes of acute stress or trauma). We must acknowledge this in the therapy room. Validating clients for who they are and what they have experienced and meeting them with kindness and compassion exactly where they are in their journey is what we as therapists strive for. This aligns with honoring the intersectionality of our clients’ identities.
Our therapists and staff here at The Center for Mindfulness & CBT are regularly trained in issues of diversity such as intersectionality, and we highly value being an affirming practice for all marginalized identities. Antiracism Revolution is one example of the resources we frequently use and find very valuable, and we never want to stop learning about these important issues that affect our clients, ourselves, and the individuals around us. To learn more about the values and background of each of our therapists, please feel free to explore our website, and you can fill out our contact form for any appointment inquiries.
