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.
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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a pride event, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of intersectionality in LGBTQ+ advocacy.
More from Audre Lorde
All quotes →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.
Similar quotes
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Being gay is a natural normal beautiful variation on being human. Period. End of subject. Therefore, any argument which says differently is an immoral supremacist one. Call it out as such. ... Be outraged, offended, angry and intolerant of any discussion or any one who describes you as unequal, undeserving or unnatural for being just as you are.
The way you see people is the way you treat them.
When someone says that I'm angry it's actually a compliment. I have not always been direct with my anger in my relationships, which is part of why I'd write about it in my songs because I had such fear around expressing anger as a woman.