Identities Matter

We’ve been exploring the ways identities shape our experiences, what they do to and for us, how other people’s behavior is influenced by the identities they perceive us as. The violent assault this week of Jussie Smollett, the black, openly gay actor on Empire is a brutal reminder that who we are isn’t just a matter of finding ourselves. Who we are subjects us to social demands that range from a demand to cover to murder.

In an article posted today on Medium.com black queer blogger Son of Baldwin, reflects on how reactions to this assault tend to focus on one or another part of Smollett’s identity in order to advance their own agendas. Very few responses consider his whole identity and so tend to dehumanize him.

It’s well worth your read. Click on the image below to read it.