3. Why is intersectionality important to human rights?
The notion of intersectionality essentially refers to the ways in which all elements of culture/society are connected or holistic (Module 3 Gender). Aspects such as race, sexuality, gender, religion, and class to name a few all intersect with each other. Where does intersectionality come into play with human rights? I’ve spent a lot of time in my previous courses discussing the notion of intersectionality in relation to human rights. From my understanding, it’s important to recognize that within the human rights issues that we face in society, there is an entirely other set of issues that may also be a reality for people outside of your cultural group. These issues will overlap or intersect within one another, although experiences will vary.
For example, I am a female and have dealt with issues of sexism. I also happen to be white, CIS gender, straight, and have no obvious religious affiliation. While I deal with issues of sexism, I don’t share the same experiences as a woman who is of another race, sexuality, gender identity, or religion. I may likely be treated in a different regard for the fact that I’m white, straight, CIS gender, and have no
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The article displayed a discussion between a white woman and a black woman, where the white woman felt that she and the black woman had undergone the same form of discrimination because they were both women. In contrast, the other woman had argued that she had faced further forms of discrimination because she was black. While intersectionality doesn’t strictly refer to race, it’s true that both women hadn’t undergone the exact same types of discrimination, because the white woman has more privilege. To reiterate the main argument, this example can be applied to various types of people and their experiences with human rights violations and