Queering Latinx: Intersectionality Matters by Michelle Boo, Center’s Fellow since September 2018

When Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989, the term became an integral part of Black feminism. Crenshaw refers to intersectionality as “the various ways in which race and gender interact to shape the multiple dimensions of Black women's employment.” Of course, intersectionality doesn’t only apply to Black women. The word intersectionality was created to convey that no identity exists independent of itself, in relation to race. This means that intersectionality is clearly a race theory that explains how race affects the oppression of other marginalized identities an individual might have.

 This concept ties into the idea of strategic essentialism first introduced by the Indian literary critic and theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Strategic essentialism is a tactic employed by a minority group acting on their shared identity in the public area in the interests of unity during a struggle for equal rights. Because of strategic essentialism queer people of color always have to sacrifice a part of their identity to find community. Identity can be both unifying and isolating. This is why intersectionality is such an important topic, to discuss.

Queer people of color are often asked to speak for the entirety of their race or for the entirety of queer people due to often being the minority in a space. The educating they do is often not by choice but by force. Performing this kind of labor, like in activists can lead to burnout. This can be a strenuous and often an unpleasant position to be in and without taking into consideration the tug-of-war being waged inside an individual with more than one identity, the nuance of the term intersectionality is lost when discussing individuals that are nonblack and also not women.

            The difficulty in forming a comprehensive identity that fits an understandable mold, that the greater society will receive well is difficult. While race and ethnicity are visible, identities like sexuality and gender can be a lot more internal. These identities can be hidden regardless of the toll it may have on one's mental health. Yet, these identities are strongly impacted by ethnicity, race, and class.

Who is Latinx? This is as complex as the colloquial terms that each Latinx person due to origin speak. The concept of Latinx is often used to indicate ethnicity, race, and geological region of a specific individual in the scope of American understanding. Of course, this can be limiting when speaking to someone that doesn’t know the diverse countries and regions a person can be from.  The way race and ethnicity can be consolidated within a person but clashes with societal norms which lends to a type of cognitive dissonance that can damage a person's self-image. This is toxic to queer Latinx’s who have to abide by the expectations of the word Latinx. Not to mention that while the word libertates many Latinxs, in and of itself it is a colonial construct that serves to oppress as well.

The origin of the work Latinx is American. It is often used in relation to Americans who have ties (ie. origins) to Latin American countries. Latinx is used as an identifier in the United States that can be both unifying and alienating. It is a categorization that has led to not only othering but also to the misidentification of all Latinx’s as people of color. In reality, not all people that are Latinx are people of color, the conceptualization, and application of intersectionality to these people would then be inaccurate. Rendering an entire diverse population of black and native peoples from what is considered to be latin america is not only offensive but also highly concerning.

            Identity is tricky. Trying to consolidate the discrepancies between who you are, and you were supposed to be can be heartbreaking, difficult, and scary. For queer people of color, this process that should be seen as a right of passage and a way of life is instead seen as something white people do. This is because gender and sexuality as is categorized in western culture is based on a colonialist set of expectations dating back to the strict adherence of organized religion as a way of structuring society. This is not to say that organized religion didn’t exist in other cultures but in this form of organized religion focuses on patriarchal concepts that alienate women and gender variant people. It’s well known that in other countries such as India and Mexico there are pronouns for ‘third gender’ and in the United States, the term two-spirit is used for people that are considered to be queer. Thus the concept of a binary gender system in western in origin and specific to white systems of thought.

            In conclusion intersectionality is a race theory specifically for the intersections of gender and race for black women that affect their daily lives. Yet, it can also be applied for and towards other people of color. It is not appropriate for non people of color to use this term to express the cultural disparities they face due to their marginalized identities. The reason intersectionality was used to briefly analyze the tangible intersections between sexuality, gender, and race as it pertains to queer Latinx people was because the experiences of black women are similar to those face by Latinx people. This was done to discuss a population in the United States that is othered by American culture and their native cultures due to colonialism. The concept of intersectionality is the ideal theory to use when discussing queer latinx people because their sexuality, gender, and ethnicity are usually minority identities that face heavy discrimination in the United states. Without the explanation that intersectionality offers this disparity would continue to be ignored.

When Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989, the term became an integral part of Black feminism. Crenshaw refers to intersectionality as “ the various ways in which race and gender interact to shape the multiple dimensions of Black women's employment.” Of course, intersectionality doesn’t only apply to Black women. The word intersectionality was created to convey that no identity exists independent of itself, in relation to race. This means that intersectionality is clearly a race theory that explains how race affects the oppression of other marginalized identities an individual might have.

 This concept ties into the idea of strategic essentialism first introduced by the Indian literary critic and theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Strategic essentialism is a tactic employed by a minority group acting on their shared identity in the public area in the interests of unity during a struggle for equal rights. Because of strategic essentialism queer people of color always have to sacrifice a part of their identity to find community. Identity can be both unifying and isolating. This is why intersectionality is such an important topic, to discuss.

Queer people of color are often asked to speak for the entirety of their race or for the entirety of queer people due to often being the minority in a space. The educating they do is often not by choice but by force. Performing this kind of labor, like in activists can lead to burnout. This can be a strenuous and often an unpleasant position to be in and without taking into consideration the tug-of-war being waged inside an individual with more than one identity, the nuance of the term intersectionality is lost when discussing individuals that are nonblack and also not women.

            The difficulty in forming a comprehensive identity that fits an understandable mold, that the greater society will receive well is difficult. While race and ethnicity are visible, identities like sexuality and gender can be a lot more internal. These identities can be hidden regardless of the toll it may have on one's mental health. Yet, these identities are strongly impacted by ethnicity, race, and class.

Who is Latinx? This is as complex as the colloquial terms that each Latinx person due to origin speak. The concept of Latinx is often used to indicate ethnicity, race, and geological region of a specific individual in the scope of American understanding. Of course, this can be limiting when speaking to someone that doesn’t know the diverse countries and regions a person can be from.  The way race and ethnicity can be consolidated within a person but clashes with societal norms which lends to a type of cognitive dissonance that can damage a person's self-image. This is toxic to queer Latinx’s who have to abide by the expectations of the word Latinx. Not to mention that while the word libertates many Latinxs, in and of itself it is a colonial construct that serves to oppress as well.

The origin of the work Latinx is American. It is often used in relation to Americans who have ties (ie. origins) to Latin American countries. Latinx is used as an identifier in the United States that can be both unifying and alienating. It is a categorization that has led to not only othering but also to the misidentification of all Latinx’s as people of color. In reality, not all people that are Latinx are people of color, the conceptualization, and application of intersectionality to these people would then be inaccurate. Rendering an entire diverse population of black and native peoples from what is considered to be latin america is not only offensive but also highly concerning.

            Identity is tricky. Trying to consolidate the discrepancies between who you are, and you were supposed to be can be heartbreaking, difficult, and scary. For queer people of color, this process that should be seen as a right of passage and a way of life is instead seen as something white people do. This is because gender and sexuality as is categorized in western culture is based on a colonialist set of expectations dating back to the strict adherence of organized religion as a way of structuring society. This is not to say that organized religion didn’t exist in other cultures but in this form of organized religion focuses on patriarchal concepts that alienate women and gender variant people. It’s well known that in other countries such as India and Mexico there are pronouns for ‘third gender’ and in the United States, the term two-spirit is used for people that are considered to be queer. Thus the concept of a binary gender system in western in origin and specific to white systems of thought.

            In conclusion intersectionality is a race theory specifically for the intersections of gender and race for black women that affect their daily lives. Yet, it can also be applied for and towards other people of color. It is not appropriate for non people of color to use this term to express the cultural disparities they face due to their marginalized identities. The reason intersectionality was used to briefly analyze the tangible intersections between sexuality, gender, and race as it pertains to queer Latinx people was because the experiences of black women are similar to those face by Latinx people. This was done to discuss a population in the United States that is othered by American culture and their native cultures due to colonialism. The concept of intersectionality is the ideal theory to use when discussing queer latinx people because their sexuality, gender, and ethnicity are usually minority identities that face heavy discrimination in the United states. Without the explanation that intersectionality offers this disparity would continue to be ignored.

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I am Michelle Boo, a Junior Psychology Major with a minor in LACS. I'm Latinx and use she/her/hers pronouns, and I serve as a fellow of the Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice at Hofstra since September 2018