Recreating the Pride Flag, a Reflection of My Experience

Abstract

Coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, “intersectionality”  describes how gender, race, class and other such identity characteristics “intersect” and merge to create our unique identities. 

There is no such thing as a single issue. When you are a person of color, you belong to one marginalized group. When you are female, you belong to two. When you do not identify as cisgender, it adds to the marginilazition you face in the society. Your gender, class, race, financial background, and so forthare incorporated into constructing social categories in which multiple layers of discrimination manifest into your life.

I resonate most with the part that talks about how these unique identities also create unique struggles for us that not everyone can relate with. It deconstructs the idea of “being in the same boat”, as it elucidates on how very rarely folks are “in the same boat”. It teaches one to be mindful and respectful of another’s uniqueness, and to do your best to support it. 

The background of the first two pictures is my reflection (and a hopeful attempt to recreate) of the pride flag. It represents intersectionality and breaks the idea of identity (social construct) being rigid and defined: trying to promote the idea of intersectionality. Similarly, the second background (black and white) is a representation of how folks expect identity to be: ridgid. The splatter of paint hopes to break the scales of such expectation imposed by society and shows how identity characteristics (gender and race, as they intersect) are much more fluid than what is “expected”/ socially constructed.