“Multi-issue” social justice organizations face a interesting challenge. During my time here at SIUE I’ve joined the campus’s GSA, a local LGBT student organization, and encountered individuals who’ve stated that in order for our organization to last, everybody must share some type of crucial characteristic, and that this characteristic should provide the symbol for the organization’s identity. This poses an interesting point given that our organization has a commitment to be welcoming to all individuals who fall within the campus’s LGBT and Queer communities. A number of students have spoken out in meetings arguing that our organization lack of something in common stems from “taking on too much” and “issues that aren’t our own”. This of course
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Intersectionality has been around long enough to take root and expose the mutually, sustaining nature of major systems of privilege and power, such as white supremacy, capitalist imperialism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Intersectionality seeks to end the reductive debate over which is the “ultimate” oppression and lay down the basis for a multidimensional, coalitional, and multi-issue activism. However intersectionality has yet to become the norm in progressive politics for LGBT and/or Queer politics and organizing. Intersectionality has yet to achieve the level of normativity- defined as relating to an ideal standard or model, or being based on what is considered to be the normal or correct way of doing something. For example, it has been argued that while examining heteronormativity that despite access to institutional power lesbians and gay have yet to extend those rights to change the heterosexual norms dominating institutions (Ward, 2008). Studies have been done to understand normativity in terms of the norms associated with heteronormativity, little to none has been to done to full access the norms associated with white
Intersectionality has been around long enough to take root and expose the mutually, sustaining nature of major systems of privilege and power, such as white supremacy, capitalist imperialism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Intersectionality seeks to end the reductive debate over which is the “ultimate” oppression and lay down the basis for a multidimensional, coalitional, and multi-issue activism. However intersectionality has yet to become the norm in progressive politics for LGBT and/or Queer politics and organizing. Intersectionality has yet to achieve the level of normativity- defined as relating to an ideal standard or model, or being based on what is considered to be the normal or correct way of doing something. For example, it has been argued that while examining heteronormativity that despite access to institutional power lesbians and gay have yet to extend those rights to change the heterosexual norms dominating institutions (Ward, 2008). Studies have been done to understand normativity in terms of the norms associated with heteronormativity, little to none has been to done to full access the norms associated with white