Understanding intersectional feminism

By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez, BusinessMirror, 12 Jul 2020

“USA Today’s” Alia Dastagir said that while a white woman may be discriminated for her gender, she has “the advantage of race.”

Dastagir added that not all women enjoy the same luxury, saying that “a black woman is disadvantaged by her gender and her race,” and that a Latina lesbian, for example, “experiences discrimination because of her ethnicity, her gender and her sexual orientation.”

“Intersectional feminism” is a term first introduced to academe in 1989 by African-American scholar and civil-rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, referring to how race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, gender or sexual identity, religion, or ethnicity “intersect” with one another and overlap.

In light of recent global protests and ensuing discussions centered on gender-based discrimination, Araneta City, under The Araneta Group, has partnered with the Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK Philippines) to tackle the social relevance of intersectional feminism for a better understanding of gender equality and sensitivity.

“Intersectionality is the complex correlation of women’s issues because women are discriminated not only for their sex, but also for their multiple identities,” said Hans Mandaguit, senior program manager of SPARK Philippines Inc., who spearheaded the recent webinar, titled “Unity in Diversity: Understanding Intersectional Feminism.”

Mandaguit stated that different identities can make women “more vulnerable, unsafe, insecure and more oppressed,” and that it can also affect their work ethic and decision-making, as well as personal beliefs and values. Therefore, he added, this begs the question on what type of woman people are really fighting for when they say that they stand for feminism.

“Intersectional feminism stands for the rights of all women and puts forward the idea that categories of identity and difference cannot be separated,” Mandaguit said. “By understanding this, feminist movements can be more diverse and inclusive.”

In essence, discrimination doesn’t exist in a bubble, as any kind of prejudice can be fueled by social aspects of culture and even fundamentalist beliefs, thus explaining why intersectional feminism is a recurring theme in many socio-political discourse and national conversations.

For example, in conflict-ridden countries like Pakistan and Syria, women journalists fighting for women’s rights are constant targets of sexual threats and assaults. In Guatemala, women have been fighting against systematic discrimination against indigenous peoples for decades.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, there are a number of reports regarding cops who are facing rape charges from disadvantaged female detainees.

Another manifestation of the relationship between intersectionality and feminism is the gap between feminist theory and trans and intersex theory. Just recently, Harry Potter author JK Rowling on Twitter appeared to define women as “people who [only] menstruate,” dismissing the notion that transgender and gender non-binary people can also experience menstruation.

In a personal essay defending her stance on the subject matter, Rowling cited that she is “concerned” about “the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning.”

LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD, or Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has since responded to Rowling’s comments, writing: “JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans.”

These scenarios underpin the importance of questioning power structures and accepted norms and speaking out against the root causes of inequalities.

“Fighting for equality,” according to Mandaguit, “means not only turning the tables on gender injustices, but rooting out all forms of oppression.”