After watching the video, I did a lot of self reflection.

I experience privilege in many ways. I’m a cisgender, able-bodied person who was born in Puerto Rico – therefore meaning that I am automatically a U.S. citizen. Of course, the circumstances surrounding Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory are troubling, but it still doesn’t take away the fact that upon moving to New York, I didn’t face any struggles in regards to my citizenship. I also have a roof over my head, access to food and clean water – mostly everything I need is accessible to me. I am also privileged enough to receive financial support from my family, and am pursuing an education.

I suppose I experience forms of oppression since I am a queer latinx woman. I have faced xenophobia in the past from white Americans, been sexually harassed, and have also experienced bigotry in many different forms. I have felt unsafe in many situations because of my identity, and while representation in media has gotten a lot better (more inclusive and diverse) over the years, I didn’t grow up with the figures I would’ve liked to have seen. This led to the rejection of my Puerto Rican culture as a child – I wanted to be just like Hannah Montana.

I only share my sexuality with a select few people when I’m comfortable, in special instances (like this, where there’s some form of anonymity or comradery), and I am not entirely publicly “out” – nor do I think I will ever be. I haven’t exactly had the nicest experiences when trusting some people.

Watching the video and doing the readings have helped me conjure up the following definitions of my own. One, oppression, meaning: the systematic act of purposefully inflicting harm upon, and controlling a specific group of people to keep the group from thriving. Two, privilege, meaning: a benefit that is accessible to only a specific individual or community.

I think that when faced with the phrase, “white privilege,” a lot of white people get defensive because they believe that it invalidates their struggles, and insists that they have easy lives. However, having white privilege doesn’t guarantee that you won’t have hardships – it simply means that the issues you would face as a white person would not happen because you’re white. Race would have nothing to do with it. On the other hand, for example, Black people face countless challenges that exist specifically because of their race – and these challenges were created purposefully. As a white person, you will not be racially profiled, you will not be seen or labeled as “other,” – you will not be targeted because of your race, and you will receive a plethora of advantages. That is what white privilege means.

Privilege also intersects in many ways, as well. It intersects with race, gender, sexuality, disability, wealth and class, etc. Everyone has a privilege of some kind, to some extent, whether they realize it or not. Acknowledging our own respective privileges, and realizing that not everyone is equipped with the same tools and resources, is a step that everyone needs to take.

In Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon highlights the many ways in which gender-nonconformity is dismissed, ridiculed, and invalidated, and just how much damage gender roles and gender policing – bigotry and transphobia – inflict on our society. To Alok, moving beyond the gender binary suggests working towards a better world where everyone is treated with respect, regardless of their gender. This respect would allow people to be their true, authentic selves without any shame, and free us all from the various norms that harm us immensely. The norms that isolate, violate, and oftentimes kill. Moving beyond the gender binary – completely breaking down and rejecting these societal norms, making room for change and acceptance – will help everyone thrive. It is absolutely crucial to the process of ensuring a happier, safer, and fulfilling future. That is the future that Alok strives for.

I am a cisgender woman who performs femininity in most cases. I am aware of the privileges that this grants me, and how society will more often than not reward me for the way I choose to present myself. However, I wasn’t always like this. There was a long period in my life in which being feminine made me feel weak. It was considered shameful. Liking pink, and expressing giddiness and a fondness for My Little Pony was about the most embarrassing thing ever. Being intense and passionate was only considered okay for certain things. People just adore to make girls feel small, annoying, and idiotic, don’t they? And of course, if you were a boy who happened to enjoy those things, you were considered worse.

Because of this, as a younger girl, I would feel inclined to look down upon traditionally feminine interests and hobbies. I expressed a strong distaste for all things pink and shimmery, even though I wanted it so bad. Once I got older, I finally felt at peace with being openly feminine. Interestingly, I began to notice that people tended to assume things about me as a result – that I was naive, ditzy, and innocent. It only got worse when I shared to a few people that I was queer. I then received very disgusting and perverse requests from people who I called my friends.

I suppose that the reason as to why I perform femininity goes beyond just liking dresses and frills. It just makes life easier, especially since I don’t feel so feminine without the extra touches. For example, people are a lot nicer when I shave. They don’t stare nearly as much. I really wish I didn’t care what people thought of me, but I’m getting there, slowly, every day. I hope everyone can get to that point one day. We all deserve to thrive.

bell hooks’ definition of feminism, “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” is one that I completely agree with. I believe that what she means by this is that feminism is not a movement that necessarily encourages anti-male sentiment, but anti-patriarchal sentiment. This is important because the patriarchy does not only harm women – it harms everyone in our society, including men. By choosing to define feminism this way, it highlights the importance of being inclusive, and striving for the end of sexism as a whole. hooks’ definition of feminism is very similar to the one I’ve subscribed to. I think that her definition is very broad, and can cover a lot of feminist issues, ranging from microaggressions to sexual violence.

I like that hooks mentions how revolutionary feminist thinking became something inaccessible to the public. I think that still holds true somewhat – theory and literature are sometimes specifically worded in an intimidating way, and it makes it nearly impossible for some people to engage with it. Therefore, it prevents the spread of knowledge, and it upholds a space for only those who are privileged and “educated” enough to engage with that media, leaving very little room for any change to be made. I think that her own personal meaning is encouraging, and simple enough to be understood by most people, which is a great thing!

The reading Sex and Gender 101 was very intriguing because it introduced some new information to me that I wasn’t aware of – the many different chromosome combinations seen in intersex people! I only knew a little bit about the intersex community before reading, so it was very exciting for me to learn about. However, I do think that the way in which bisexuality and pansexuality are defined in the text can get a little tricky. For some, the line between bisexuality and pansexuality can be very blurry, seeing as some people believe that bisexuality excludes transgender and nonbinary people (I don’t agree with this) and others believe that bisexuality encompasses all genders, since there aren’t only 2 of them. But then, what about pansexuality? It really depends on who you talk to. I personally believe that labels can be very helpful, and yet very confusing, all at once. Finding what works for you personally is the most important thing, whether you decide to label yourself or not. Overall, though, I thought it was a very good and informative reading.

Hi everyone!

My name is Paulina Gonzalez, and my pronouns are she/her. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and moved here to NYC in 2013 with my mom, just after my 12th birthday. If you’ve ever seen Gilmore Girls, the relationship between Lorelai and Rory is very similar to the one I have with my mom. If you have no idea what I’m talking about (I don’t blame you) – that just means that my mom and I are very close, and sometimes it’s almost as though I’m her mom. She can be a little childish. Then again, so can I.

I enjoy writing stories (truthfully, a lot of self indulgent romance), acting and improvising bits with my friends, as well as drawing and designing miscellaneous things that I think are cute. I’m a liberal arts major – I went to a visual arts high school, but honestly, I have no clue what I want to do, career-wise. I’m sure I’m not alone.

I’m also interested in fashion (my current obsessions are layered scoop-neck milkmaid tops and miniskirts – I also can’t get enough of furry cuffs!), animals (dogs, hedgehogs and birds have a special place in my heart, but it’s big enough for all kinds of furry – or not furry – friends!), and have a huge sweet tooth. Hate cupcakes, though – they’re always 75% frosting! Why not just give me a muffin, y’know? I love muffins. Cranberry-orange ones are amazing, you should try them at least once. Unless you’re allergic, of course. The other day, I tried some cinnamon coffee cake muffins for the first time, and they just blew me away. I think everyone deserves to be blown away by food, by every aspect of life. Everyone deserves to indulge. Life is too short not to.

I’m really looking forward to this class. I’ve always wanted to take it, so I’m glad that I finally have the opportunity. I would love to learn more about the concept of gender and women’s history within different cultures, through an intersectional lens! I’m very excited to get to know my classmates, too. I hope this will be a good semester for everybody! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. :o)