Being a queer women of color (or qwoc) has been described as both being connected to three communities or identities and, at the same time, being separated from these communities. For an example, Sekiya Dorsett, activist and filmmaker, stated that she experienced being barred from the African American community, due to LGBT discrimination, and the queer community, due to a lack of representation for minorities in gay subculture. In addition, she had also experienced sexism when one of her colleagues told her to “stop being an angry lesbian. [1]”

 

This unique group and its crises are rarely addressed within queer communities, much less in American society. For an example, in a poll on “feeling a strong sense of purpose in life”, only 32% of queer women felt this way compared to 40% of straight women [2]. In addition, transgender women, especially those of color, are virtually ignored by our society. Transgender women who survived hate crimes are 6 times more likely than other LGBTQIA survivors to experience physical assault when talking to the police [3]. Transgender people of color also face dire straits. As shown in a study on discrimination against transgender people, the percentage of people of color who faced harassment and assault by police officers were 14% to 36% greater than the percentage of white people who faced the same issue [4].

 

In the face of this extreme discrimination, queer women of color have acted to gain more recognition and representation for themselves. On March 31st, during Women’s History Month, around 50 transgender people, with a large proportion being women of color, were invited by President Barack Obama to the White House for a three hour meeting to discuss transgender issues with the Obama administration [5]. Lourdes Hunter, the leader of the Trans Women of Color Collective (TWOCC), asserted to the Southern Poverty Law Center, ‘“It was a great opportunity for trans people to be in the White House. But at the same time, we’re not interested in photo ops, we’re interested in action.” [6]’ In addition, many qwoc filmmakers have been increasing the number of films about queer women of color. The Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project was started by Madeline Lim to provide workshops for artists. She stated in “Lavender Life”, “If we are not the filmmakers making films of our own lives and experiences, who will? Are we going to wait until Hollywood gets it right one day? [7]”

 

Thus, qwocs are in the overlap of three specific social identities that are subject to discrimination, but also carry a unique perspective that can be empowering and needs to be heard.

 

Citations:

[1] Dorsett, Sekiya. "A 'Trifecta of Discrimination'? Queer Women of Color Have a Trifecta of Power!" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

[2]Keating, Shannon. "The Quiet Crisis Among Queer Women." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 30 Aug. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

[3], [4] Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, and Justin Tanis. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality, 2011. Print.

[5], [6] Terry, Don. "In the Crosshairs - Hatewatch Blog." Medium. Southern Poverty Law Center, 09 June 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.

[7] Leeson, Rosemary. "Lavender Life: Madeleine Lim, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project." YouTube. KLEISTV, 6 June 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.