Elephant in the corner
Cissexism: the belief that transsexual genders are less valid than cissexual genders.
Cissexual: “[…] people who are not transsexual and who have only ever experienced their subconscious and physical sexes as being aligned” (Julia Serano)
Cissexual privilege: Experienced by cissexuals as a result of having their fe/maleness deemed authentic, natural and unquestionable by society at large. It allows cissexuals to take their sex embodiment for granted in ways that transsexuals cannot.
Entitlement: a belief that one is deserving of/entitled to certain privileges
Heteronormativity: the cultural bias in favour of opposite-sex relationships of a sexual nature, and against same-sex relationships of a sexual nature. Because the former are viewed as normal and the latter are not, lesbian and gay relationships are subject to a heteronormative bias.
Heterosexism: a form of discrimination that favours heterosexuals over lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. Most legal systems are profoundly heterosexist, offering visitation rights, tax benefits, and other protections to opposite-sex couples that are not available to same-sex couples. Heterosexism is distinct from homophobia, though homophobia is in all likelihood the driving force behind heterosexism.
Intersectionality: “a concept that enables us to recognize the fact that perceived group membership can make people vulnerable to various forms of bias, yet because we are simultaneously members of many groups, our complex identities can shape the specific way we each experience that bias. e.g. women of different races can experience sexism differently. An intersectional approach goes beyond conventional analysis in order to focus our attention on injuries that we otherwise might not recognize.” – African American Policy Forum
Kyriarchy: “a neologism coined by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and derived from the Greek words for “lord” or “master” (kyrios) and “to rule or dominate” (archein) which seeks to redefine the analytic category of patriarchy in terms of multiplicative intersecting structures of domination…Kyriarchy is best theorized as a complex pyramidal system of intersecting multiplicative social structures of superordination and subordination, of ruling and oppression.” – Glossary, Wisdom Ways, Orbis Books New York 2001
Oppression: “the constellation of structural economic, political, and psycho-social relations that systematically confine or reduce the life-choices of a social group, often through presenting members of the oppressed social group with a set of “double binds”: that is, choices between equally problematic outcomes.” – http://www.kickaction.ca/node/1499 [See also privilege]
Oppression Olympics: competing for the position of most oppressed (a group event) e.g. “women face far more prejudice than black people.” Doesn’t really get anyone from any group very far.
Patriarchy: “Literally means the rule of the father and is generally understood within feminist discourses in a dualistic sense as asserting the domination of all men over all women in equal terms. The theoretical adequacy of patriarchy has been challenged because, for instance, black men do not have control over white wo/men and some women (slave/mistresses) have power over subaltern women and men (slaves).” – Glossary, Wisdom Ways, Orbis Books New York 2001
Privilege: “unearned advantage conferred systematically to members of a social group, in virtue of their group-membership.” – http://www.kickaction.ca/node/1499