I am more oppressed.... no I am more oppressed

The politics of oppression when intersectionality isn’t your thing.

A little while ago my friend showed me a video of two feminist groups fighting over who was more oppressed. One group was cisgender another transgender. While we did laugh at the futility of the debate we did feel sad for those stuck in this cycle of never ending persecution. I have heard people say oppressed people turn out worse then their oppressors when given their freedom. I wouldn’t want to support that argument as it only plays into the hands of oppressors.

I am seeing a trend and a very disturbing one – one group feeling more oppressed than another. Recently a male friend said to me you women complain about sexism all you feminists get it wrong men are attacked violently too. I have never denied male on male violence neither has feminism. Similarly I have been to seminars on various subjects or charity events where people have pointed out but they only look after this group and not this one….. I am seeing a very strong drive amongst historically oppressed groups to feel liberated by punching another oppressed group.

Pink news  recently carried an article about stopping aid to certain African countries that are still homophobic. I was deeply troubled by comments at the end of the article and more so by the high handedness that came with this decision.  Comments ranged from name calling to subtle sophisticated racism. This gesture  to stop aid seem like a threat and not an act of reaching to end homophobia. What hides behind the triumph of LGBT rights is racism, the ‘lets show em’ attitude which says to me this aid was never unconditional or genuine.  This aid is meant for the poorest people on the African continent who lets face it have it bad and are exploited like poor people across the world are.  Governments of those nations have made anti lgbt laws that oppress another group of people, throw in some well meaning white people and you have an incoherent group of people shouting for rights each one trying to outdo the other.

I don’t think cutting of aid will help change homophobic attitudes, if anything it will pander to the worst fears people have about the LGBT community in these nations. A similar incident happened in India last year (just after we recriminalised homosexuality). An Indian diplomat got into trouble in USA the story was in the news for days, the first reaction of the government and opposition was – lets seek out LGBT Americans and target them for their racism.

While the liberal west has become a tolerant place for LGBT people the rest of the world has not. However when race and sexuality collide they produce an ugly divide. That an individual can inhabit two spaces does not occur to anyone. Targeting another oppressed group does not make for liberation of another community or provide any liberation for that matter. There are individuals and groups on the African continent fighting for LGBT rights despite the way the issue is presented. Should poor people starve because certain liberal ideas have not caught up fast enough?  I have been accused of being homophobic by existing as a woman of colour, as if being white equals being accepting of LGBT people. Similarly being LGBT and white does not mean one is automatically anti racist or anti other prejudice.