microaggressions

Photo by Samuel Dixon on Unsplash

You Aren’t Always Entitled To Be Heard, Actually

It’s time to shut up and listen. Read...
Image via YouTube.

“Get Out”: A Film In Black And White 

Even if you think you're prepared for what to expect from Get Out, you're not.

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These stereotypes have not only been used in the past to perpetuate violence against Men of Color. They’re ever-present factors in how Black and Brown men navigate the world. Image: Thinkstock.

4 Racist Stereotypes White Patriarchy Invented To 'Protect' White Womanhood

Men of Color, especially Black men, have historically been coded as animalistic abusers and r*pists when it comes to white women. This stems from the idea that Men of Color literally want to steal and sully the belongings of white men. In turn, it becomes the “duty” of white men to protect white women — not because they truly care about white women, but because white women are the property of white men.

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You aren’t wonderful despite these things that make up who you are. You’re wonderful BECAUSE of them. Image: Thinkstock.

I Don't Want To Be Your Exception

Whether it’s your ethnicity, your religion, your sexuality, you do not deserve to be loved in spite of who you are — you deserve to be loved for who you are. Those things are a part of you, and they shouldn’t be swept under the rug or pushed to the side so someone can pick and choose the things they like about you.

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I somehow manage to forget from one summer to the next just how frustrating it can be to merely exist in public spaces when it’s warm outside. Image: Yegide Matthews/ Unsplash.

Summer Shouldn't Be Open Season On Women's Bodies

I decided to spend a few hours running errands in the summer sunshine while audaciously wearing a loose-fitting baby doll dress, comfy flats, and a denim vest. Apparently my need to keep my legs ventilated served as a Bat-Signal to the fine men of Gotham, who were drawn by its golden glow to yell stuff at me every five minutes.

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Black people’s hair is too tense for White America to EVER be comfortable. Image: Thinkstock.

3 Reasons I Won't Apologize For My Black-Girl Hair

Black hair, like Black identity, is diverse and nuanced, but it still stands out as different from White hair. The point is not that all Black hair needs to look the same, but that we share the experience of feeling pressure to alter our appearance, to present a version of ourselves solely to satisfy the White gaze. When we truly own our bodies —the fat, skinny, scarred, hairy, melanated, unconventional bodies we walk around in — they will no longer be things to defend or hide or alter.

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We are queer, but we are people, too. Our uniqueness is real, and it is valuable.

On Bisexual Erasure In The Queer Community

No one should have to explain themselves to gain legitimacy. If we spend all of our time flashing our cards to get a pass into the queer club, we’re screwing ourselves over. At the end of the day, who's in charge of the gates? The white cis men who currently dominate the queer narrative?

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