Diversity is a failed construct. The idea of diversity as sacrosanct is deeply problematic because it is falsely predicated on the notion that having a bunch of different identities in one place means that there is real difference represented. For decades, we’ve accepted and promoted diversity as a means of solving problems of exclusion. We’ve been taught to believe that as long as the space appears diverse then there is room for everyone. History shows us that this is certainly not true. Tokenisms have always run wild in our ideas of diversity. Even more than that, what was once called diverse we would now call oppressive. Truly, some of the most hateful spaces I have encountered have been the most diverse. People often learn to hate very quickly even in the midst of tremendous diversity. In fact, wide diversity often masks macro and micro aggressions against the oppressed and marginalized. True queerness forces us to think deeply about what it looks like to have the room to be different. We don’t need wider diversity…we need wider authenticity.
Amen.
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