Discrimination against one represents discrimination against all.
That was the message that emerged from a public community forum held on Tuesday, March 22, that focused on intersectionality* and, more specifically, the challenges faced by trans people of color in the community. Along with a panel of distinguished guests, more than 80 people attended the event, hosted by Boston Pride, Black Pride, and Latin@Pride. The event was held at the Boston Center Youth & Families’ Blackstone Community Center.
The overarching goal of the forum was to provide a platform for the community to come together to openly discuss some of the key issues facing the POC community, more specifically the trans POC community.
The panel included Dr. Van Bailey, director of BGLTQ at Harvard University and social justice educator; Hope Freeman, community advocate and activist; Josiane Martinez, principal at Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG); Marco Torres, program supervisor at BCYF Blackstone Community Center; and Michelle Tat, PhD, research psychologist. The forum was moderated moderated by Ayanna Pressley, Boston City Councilor at Large.
The forum touched upon intersectionality and how it refers to the overlapping of social identities and the very many ways how any one individual incident of discrimination does indeed effect not just the entire LGBT community, but every member of society at large.
* Intersectionality refers to social categories—like race, class, and gender—and how, when they overlap, in all kinds of circumstances, the result can lead to discrimination and disadvantage.
