Crenshaw And Spelman's Analysis

Intersectionality, as described by Crenshaw and Spelman, is the notion that the identities of a person are interdependent on one another and thus cannot be fully separated. Spelman uses an analogy of people entering doors (identities), trying to prioritize which of them they identify with most. We cannot choose, for these identities are interdependent. For example, race directly affects the experience of being a woman. To be a woman who is Black involves different strife, experiences, and thus identity, than a woman who is White. Because of this, Crenshaw argues, the needs of a Black woman are inherently different from that needs of a White woman. Essentialism, the idea that all persons of an identity group hold a universal truth about them, is thus disputed by Crenshaw. She claims that issues portrayed to be issues of all women turn out to be only the issues of select women, who are particularly white. As we set forth to fix issues facing women, then, issues faced by the Black woman become ignored, either leaving her behind or further harming her.
It is important to note that most generally consider intersectionality as the convergence of two minority identities. The following analysis accepts this view and thus recognizes the Black gay man as an intersectional identity and not the White gay man. The experiences of the Black gay man are therefore the primary topic within the