Ananda

I feel uncomfortable posting in certain groups on Facebook and other social media at the moment. There is a lot of discrimination toward un- and underrepresented groups, and irritation toward people who are not in those groups and who act in oppressive ways by taking up space in online discussions.

I don’t always know where I stand or how much privilege I have, because I don’t entirely know my identity—I’m at the intersection of so many. I’m mixed race, but because I’m white passing, I don’t feel like a person of color. Is it correct for me to claim that title? I have a non-binary gender identity, but I’m also a femme AFAB (assigned female at birth), which gives me privilege when standing alongside other non-binary and trans folk.

I feel a bit stuck, a bit disconnected from a community of people that originally saved me. I’m often told that as a queer, mixed race, mentally ill woman I should take up as much space as I want and need to. But I’m also told that I shouldn’t take up as much space as I do because—due to my privilege as a white passing, middle-class, able-bodied person—I’m silencing those who need to be heard.

I’m not sure what I’m meant to do. ♦