1

University affiliation

Student’s Name

Why intersectionality is important in sexuality studies

Professor’s Name

Paper Due Date

 2

Abstract

Intersectionality is important in sexuality as it helps understand how a person's sexuality creates

different types of privileges and discrimination when it comes to sexuality. Every person has

different sexuality, and the individual's sexuality can change over time. Sexuality is an important

part of a person's knowledge of who they are. There is no right or wrong sexually. It all depends

on what is wrong or right when it comes to an individual. There are different types of sexuality,

and each has its own. However, there are discriminations against certain types of sexuality in the

world like bisexual, pansexual, asexual, gay, lesbian and transgender, and privileges when it

comes to other styles like straight sexuality. Intersectionality helps in the understanding of how

the sexuality of a person can create discriminations and privileges. This research paper will

discuss the reasons why social intersectionality is important in sexuality studies.

Introduction

Intersectionality is the interconnected nature of social categories regarded as creating an

independent and overlapping system of disadvantage and discrimination. It is used to understand

how aspects like sex, gender, caste, class, race, religion, disability, height, physical appearance,

and sexuality of a person’s political and social identities combine and create different types of

privilege and discrimination. Sexuality is about how an individual expresses their sexual

feelings. It is about an individual's sexual feelings, behaviours, thoughts, and attractions towards

other personal and diverse people. Intersectionality and sexuality are linked in a way that makes

intersectionality important in sexuality.

Analysis
 3

Sexuality studies are fields of study that explore the artistic, cultural, historical, geographical,

economic, literary, political, social, and psychological aspects of sexuality. Social

intersectionality is important in this study. Sexuality studies train a person to examine gender

relations, construction gender, and sexual difference from an informed global perspective.

It also considers how gender intersects with race, ethnicity, class, disability, and age. Moreover,

intersectionality is the acknowledgement that everyone has their individual unique experiences

of discrimination and oppression, and therefore people should consider everything that can

marginalize people. There are several reasons why intersectionality is important in sexuality

studies, especially in gender identities.

The first reason intersectionality is important in sexuality studies is that its framework has

provided important insights into feminist analyses. Intersectionality offers a way to understand

one another better and work towards a just future for all people. Feminists believe in each of the

sexes' economic, social, and political equality, whether male or female. However, “all inequality

is not equal” (Lancet global health, 2018). There are different forms of inequality that work

together and make each other worse.

Taking an intersectional approach to feminism shows how people's social identities can create

worse experiences of discrimination by intersecting. For instance, race inequality is discussed by

people as a separate inequality from gender, immigration status, sexuality, or class. However,

“while having a perspective that it is different from all the others, people tend to forget that some

individuals are subject to all of the social identities and not just one of them or a sum of them.”

(Carastathis, 2014)
 4

Intersectionality centres the voices of feminists, especially those that experience intersecting,

simultaneous forms of oppression, to understand the depths of the inequalities and the

relationships among them in whichever given circumstance. Black women in the United States

and the rest of the world are active feminists fighting for advancement in their black women’s

rights. Intersectionality centres their voices which they want to be heard from them and no other

feminists, whether white feminists or black men.

Moreover, intersectionality helps in recognizing the historical contexts that surround the

feminism issue. Some of the long histories of women's systematic discrimination have created

deep inequalities like caste systems, poverty, sexism, and racism that disadvantage some women,

denying them equal rights and opportunities like other men. The impact that they cause extends

across many generations. Some of the women in countries like Guatemala experience systematic

discrimination against indigenous women, resulting from historical injustices.

For instance, in Guatemala, indigenous women are seen as domestic workers, face racism, and

have sexist discrimination. It is something that has been happening over the decades and is

happening to date. According to research done, “most of the women affected by gender

inequalities, and gender-based violence are the marginalized, black, and brown women, young

girls, women in rural areas, transgender, and girls living with disabilities.” (Meyer, 2012)

These issues ranging from discrimination based on gender identity might seem separate, but

intersectionality shows the connections between all the fights for liberation and justice by

feminists. Also, “intersectionality helps people see through intersectional feminist’s lens how

different communities are battling various issues that are connected.” (Carastathis, 2014) It helps

people build back stronger, better, and equal societies that do not discriminate depending on the

sexes.
 5

The second reason why intersectionality is important in sexuality studies is that it has allowed

different elements like race, gender, and class to define a person's sexuality. A male child born is

expected by society to be straight because of his gender. However, he can be transgender. It

means that the man's gender identity interconnects with his sexuality, and because of that,

assumptions are made about his choice of partners. Intersectionality validates the unique

experience of the person and the challenges of being a transgender person.

Moreover, intersectionality has allowed all the different elements included in defining an

individual's sexuality to be analyzed even further by introducing them. It is already quite difficult

to comprehend the full meaning of sexuality. It involves different elements, for instance, which a

person is attracted to, the beliefs and values of that person, and who they have a relationship

with. Intersectionality allows sexuality to be examined from a unique and deep perspective.

Also, at times, the important parts of a person’s identity are erased. It limits the person's

understanding of how an issue based on their identities like race, gender and class can positively

or negatively impact them. Intersectionality expands the number of experiences and perspectives

written and talked about and is important to sexuality to create awareness. The awareness it

creates helps a person to express their sexuality more directly. For instance, in a community

where people have more experience and a positive perspective on what it means to be

transgender, a man or woman is more open to express themselves as a transgender man or

woman. They will not feel compelled to hide away because society expects them to be straight

and will not accept that they are transgender.

 6

A person being transgender means that they have a different gender identity from the one that

they were given at birth. That is, the person is not entirely masculine or feminine. Transgender

people face a lot of scrutiny, violence, and discrimination in society. Most of the time, people do

not truly comprehend how a person can have a different gender from what they were born with,

so they tend to be violent towards transgender people.

Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding the impact of violence on transgender

people. In research done, it was discovered that “most transgender people fear physical violence

than verbal insults hulled at them by their offenders.” (Meyer, 2012) Moreover, intersectionality

indicates that multiple social identities that include gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation,

socio-economic status, and immigration status interconnect at the lower level of individual

experience to reflect a privilege and oppression system at the higher level.

Structural inequalities that include transphobia, classism, racism, and anti-immigrant

discrimination may worsen the experiences of transgender survivors of violence. It is important

to understand these experiences within structural and social factors, and intersectionality helps

with this. For instance, intersectionality helps realize that violence and discrimination among

black transgender people are made worse by the intersection of racism and transphobia. Black

transgender people experience worse violence than white transgender people and are more likely

to experience discrimination by healthcare providers.

 7

The third reason why intersectionality is important in sexuality studies is that it describes how

different elements of a person’s identity can be discriminated against and lead to negative

outcomes. For instance, “Latina and black transgender women are victims of murder at a much

higher rate than white transgender women.” (Meyer, 2012) It also shows how it applies to

workplaces and why businesses that do not consider intersectionality in diversity programs lose

out on high staff turnover.

Some employees belong to two or more underrepresented categories in the workplaces that

experience oppression and lack of opportunities in varying unique ways. Intersectionality helps

the companies consider the underrepresented categories, ensuring that they do not overlook the

experiences that the employee faces due to their different sexual identities. Intersectionality

brings to light the various ways in which employees face discrimination at work due to their

uniqueness.

In research conducted in 2020, it was discovered that “the white woman in the United States

earns 81 cents for every dollar that a man earns. However, it is not the same case for Native

black women, Hispanic women, American Indian women, Black women, and African American

women who earn 75 cents for every dollar that a man earns.” (Mccluney, 2020) It means that

white women are discriminated against the men when it comes to wage inequality. Still, black,

African American, Hispanic, and American Indian women face more wage inequality

discrimination because the gender identity as females and the racism intersect to create worse

discrimination situations. Intersectionality brings this into light when conducting sexuality

studies and helps companies deal with the marginalization of wages problem.
 8

Moreover, intersectionality focuses on the fact that diverse communities like blacks, especially

black women, lack professional development. Research conducted in the United States showed

that “black women have less access to training, receive less sponsorship, and mentorship, and

have fewer opportunities to interact with senior leaders.” (Mccluney, 2020) Black women have

fewer opportunities to develop their careers than white women or even black men and white

men. Intersectionality points out the gap that exists between men and women in the workplaces.

It helps the companies in focusing more on gender diversity.

Intersectionality points out the hiring discrimination and inequities in unemployment that

concern gender identity. During the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, black women have

been nearly as twice as white men reported that they have been laid off from work or had their

hours or pay reduced. Moreover, black women in the United States are more likely to be

unemployed than black men or even white men and women. Intersectionality shows how race

and gender intersect to create discrimination and unequal employment to the underrepresented

employees in the workplace.

Moreover, intersectionality helps in showing how increased sexual harassments in workplaces

affects women and transgender women more than men. Research conducted in the United

Kingdom showed that more than half of trans black and minority ethnic women report unwanted

touching compared to white women, and more women in general report sexual harassments at

work as compared to men. Moreover, transgender women with disabilities reported higher levels

of sexual harassments compared to men with disabilities and women. Intersectionality shows

how gender, race, sexual orientation, and disability intersect to create a more sexually

discriminating environment for the affected employees.

 9

Intersectionality also focuses on how employees who face discrimination linked to

intersectionality are more prone to resign and leave their jobs. Black women who experience

aggression in the workplace are more likely to quit. Research conducted showed that the “rate of

black women who intended to quit their jobs in two years-time was 36 percent which was a

higher rate compared to black men whose rate is 33 percent.” (Mccluney, 2020)

It could be because black women bear the emotional tax at work, where they always have to

guard against bias, unfair treatment, and discrimination compared to black men. Intersectionality

shows that black women are more likely to be on guard than black men at work because they

expect both gender and racial bias that intersect to create a more unbearable working

environment that leads them to quit.

Conclusion

Intersectionality is an important aspect when it comes to studying a person's sexuality. It focuses

on the other elements that intersect with a person's sexuality to create an independent and unique

type of disadvantage or discrimination towards the person. Whether it be race, sexual orientation,

religion, gender, disability, class and age, it shows how one or two of the elements intersect to

create a more discriminative environment for the person involved.

Every person goes through their discrimination pattern, others more than the rest and

intersectionality show why this happens. It is important in sexuality studies because its

framework provides important insights into feminist analyses. It has also allowed different

elements like race, gender, and class to define a person's sexuality. Moreover, it describes how

other aspects of a person's identity can be discriminated against and lead to negative outcomes.

References
 10

Carastathis A. (2014) The concept of intersectionality in feminist theory. Philosophy Compass

9(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/ohc3.12129

Meyer D. (2012) An intersectional analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)

people's evaluations of anti-queer violence. Gender and Society, 26(6), 849-873.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41705739

Lancet Global Health. (2018) All gender inequality is not equal. The lancet global health, 6(4).

https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30105-0

Mccluney C.L. (2020) The need for intersectional practices in addressing workplace diversity.

Behavioural science and policy, 6(1), 51-54. https://doi.org/10.1353/bsp.2020.0004