Being queer or transgender does not in and of itself make someone privy to understanding the experiences of other marginalized groups. White members of the LGBTQ community who don’t understand this simply cannot empathize and often mistakenly attempt to compare all oppressions to each other. When it comes to the ignorance of another marginalized communities, defending ourselves can be exhausting. Writer Ashleigh Shackelford expresses this sentiment best when she says “...it wasn’t worth educating these particular white queer folks because it was labor that came at the cost of my mental health.” Marginalization is multifaceted and complex, therefore white LGBTQ communities are rarely equipped to handle matters of race.

This lack of attention can also be witnessed in Black cishet spaces. Sharing the background of being Black in a world controlled by white supremacy isn’t enough to foster a collective connection when discussions of race don’t simultaneously address gender, sexual orientation, and other intersections. With such limitations, Black queer and trans people’s identities are invalidated and we are forced to censor who we are. We need unique spaces for those at multiple identity intersections because spaces that are not explicitly attentive to queer and trans communities of color can be an assault on our emotional well-being.