Pansexuality: A Many-Layered Exploration
1685 Words Why is it that when a person is asked which part of their identity is most salient to them, there is usually an easy answer? For me, the idea of sexuality sprung to mind and I quickly realized that we are bound to notice most our identity which is hardest for us to fit into, and therefore causes us the most social strife. If scripts (Wideman, 183), or specific stereotypes, and societal norms didn’t exist, then identity would be easy. We would simply float between feelings, expressing our most core selves without judgment. Instead, we are left fighting assumptions about our very being and with the burden of proving that we fit in (or don’t) all of the time. This paper will argue that my identity as queer woman is shaped by the intersectional societal norms associated with gender, sexuality, and race. It will draw from essays b y Gloria Anzaldúa and Judith Lorber and have a heavy f
