Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am a lesbian. Any attack against Black people is a lesbian and gay issue, because I and thousands of other Black women are part of the lesbian community. Any attack against lesbians and gays is a Black issue, because thousands of lesbians and gay men are Black. There is no hierarchy of oppression.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of identity and oppression among marginalized communities.
Audre Lorde's quote speaks to the intersectionality of race and sexual orientation, highlighting that experiences of oppression are not isolated to one aspect of identity. She argues that attacks on any marginalized group resonate with other groups facing similar struggles, underscoring the idea that solidarity is crucial in the fight against discrimination, and that understanding the complexity of identity is essential in addressing social justice issues.
In practice
During a pride event, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of intersectionality in LGBTQ+ advocacy.
The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.
There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.
There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.
I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.
I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.
There's always someone asking you to underline one piece of yourself - whether it's Black, woman, mother, dyke, teacher, etc. - because that's the piece that they need to key in to. They want to dismiss everything else.
I will no longer allow anyone to manipulate my mind and control my life in the name of love.
My kids speak of both subtle slights and blatant racism. It's a narrative I never imagined for them.
I needed New Orleans so badly back in 2006, just somebody to believe in me, somebody to care about me
Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.
Girls grow up scarred by caution and enter adulthood eager to shake free of their parents' worst nightmares. They still know to be wary of strangers. What they don't know is whether they have more to fear from their friends.
Marriage has no guarantees. If that's what you're looking for, go live with a car battery.
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