‘Can You Really Be a Queer Muslim?’: Intersectionality and the Complexity of Identity
Sexism, Patriarchy and Social Performance: Why Women Should Stop People Pleasing
Acting like this has become second nature to me. My knee-jerk reaction is to be kind to everyone, even when they’re undeserving of my kindness. It’s a performance I’m constantly putting on without even realising it, and, starting today, I’m going to put in the effort to stop unknowingly committing to an act that is detrimental to my well-being and self-respect…
‘The Problem Starts When Children Are Three Years Old’: Sexual Abuse, The Education System, and Me
I work as a teacher for a pre-school where there are already signs of hegemonic social normalities. A teacher asks a little boy to be a ‘big strong helper’. They suggest to a little girl, ‘shall we get the sparkly pens out?’. The truth is, this is where the problem starts. Recently, I came to the realisation that I’m in the position to change it, for a certain few…
Male, Female, Lesbian? The Quest to Find a Label That Fits When Womanhood Is a Spectrum
Lesbian noun: A woman who is sexually attracted to other women. (Oxford Dictionary) By definition, a lesbian is a woman. Therefore I, a lesbian, am a woman – I must be. The problem is, I didn’t want to be...
What Are You? The Ambiguous Life of a Genderfluid Person
What are you? First off, I am not a what. I am a who. Who am I is the appropriate question. […] Society makes us believe that there are only two genders and that anything outside their defined binary is considered abnormal and incorrect. But genders are not what you are assigned at birth. Genders are labels that describe your identity…