August 3, 2014
I am a cisgender white woman.
Those three markers of my identity are intersections that shape my perceptions and experiences in western culture.
I benefit from the gender binary, as someone who is feminine and whose birth assignment aligns with my expression.
I benefit from white supremacy; because of my complexion, I can have unquestioned access to resources that my peers of color do not. My material privilege is assumed to be merit-based while my peers of color are not given this same benefit-of-the-doubt.
I can own a gun and use it and that would be my right; my peers of color are told they are thugs when they obtain a gun.
My life is not threatened on a daily basis, and cops don't pull me over every time I am driving.
Because of our misogynist culture, I am seen as fragile and hysterical, but misogynoir and transmisogyny magnify and elevate these misconceptions and put women of color, especially trans women of color, in constant danger. Lives are lost on a daily basis because of misogyny, misogynoir, and transmisogyny.
Every day, multiple times a day, it is my responsibility to interrogate and analyze my privilege. Sometimes, that process is uncomfortable; however, my discomfort is not more important than the lives lost to racism, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry that are woven into the fabric of American culture.
Being challenged does not hurt me.
Wanting justice for all does not strip me if my rights; everyone having rights does not eliminate mine.
These conversations are important to have, but the onus to educate me is on my own shoulders and not on the shoulders of those who are more oppressed than I am.
I am a cisgender white woman.
I am learning and growing in my compassion. I invite others to do the same.
Those three markers of my identity are intersections that shape my perceptions and experiences in western culture.
I benefit from the gender binary, as someone who is feminine and whose birth assignment aligns with my expression.
I benefit from white supremacy; because of my complexion, I can have unquestioned access to resources that my peers of color do not. My material privilege is assumed to be merit-based while my peers of color are not given this same benefit-of-the-doubt.
I can own a gun and use it and that would be my right; my peers of color are told they are thugs when they obtain a gun.
My life is not threatened on a daily basis, and cops don't pull me over every time I am driving.
Because of our misogynist culture, I am seen as fragile and hysterical, but misogynoir and transmisogyny magnify and elevate these misconceptions and put women of color, especially trans women of color, in constant danger. Lives are lost on a daily basis because of misogyny, misogynoir, and transmisogyny.
Every day, multiple times a day, it is my responsibility to interrogate and analyze my privilege. Sometimes, that process is uncomfortable; however, my discomfort is not more important than the lives lost to racism, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry that are woven into the fabric of American culture.
Being challenged does not hurt me.
Wanting justice for all does not strip me if my rights; everyone having rights does not eliminate mine.
These conversations are important to have, but the onus to educate me is on my own shoulders and not on the shoulders of those who are more oppressed than I am.
I am a cisgender white woman.
I am learning and growing in my compassion. I invite others to do the same.
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