9781626569768

. . . the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of
oppression, domination, or discrimination. The theory suggests that—and seeks to examine
how—various biological, social, and cultural categories such as gender, race, class, ability,
sexual orientation, religion, caste, age, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and
often simultaneous levels. The theory proposes that we should think of each element or trait
of a person as inextricably linked with all of the other elements in order to fully understand
one’s identity. 15
Intersectionality has become a term often revered or repudiated
depending on the source. Put plainly, none of us are mono-dimensional. We
are not only men, fathers, people with living with lupus, Asian, or seniors.
Some of us are aging Asian fathers who are living with lupus. Those
varying identities impact each other in ways that are significantly different
than if we were navigating them one at a time. Radical self-love demands
that we see ourselves and others in the fullness of our complexities and
intersections and that we work to create space for those intersections. As
has been true throughout history, changing the systemic and structural
oppressions that regard us in perfunctory and myopic ways requires
sweeping changes in our laws, policies, and social norms. Creating a world
of justice for all bodies demands that we be radical and intersectional.
Unapologetic Inquiry #1
We all live at multiple intersections of identity. What are your
intersections? How do your multiple identities affect each other?
Radical self-love is interdependent. The radical self-love espoused in
this book lives beyond the flimsy ethos of individualism and operates at
both the individual and systemic levels. Radical self-love is about the self
because the self is part of the whole. And therefore, radical self-love is the
foundation of radical human love. Our relationships with our own bodies
inform our relationships with others. Consider all the times you have
assessed your value or lack thereof by comparing yourself to someone else.
When we are saddled with body shame, we see other bodies as things to
covet or judge. Body shame makes us view bodies in narrow terms like
“good” or “bad,” or “better” or “worse” than our own. Radical self-love
invites us to love our bodies in a way that transforms how we understand