What happens when the law can't see you? This episode dives into Kimberle Crenshaw’s landmark 1989 essay on intersectionality, exploring how courts systematically erase Black women. Becky and Tori break down Crenshaw’s trapdoor metaphor, legal analysis, and the continuing relevance of intersectional feminism today.

This week’s text

✍️ “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex” by Kimberlé Crenshaw

This week’s guest

Tori, aka Tori, Etc., is a neurodivergent speaker and educator on deconstructing fundamentalism, white supremacy, and internalized misogyny. Raised in a far-right religious household, she now brings sharp analysis and vulnerable storytelling to conversations about identity, power, and liberation.

Find TORI

🌐 https://instagram.com/tori.etc
🎧 https://www.torietc.com/podcast
📱 https://www.instagram.com/tori.etc

Discussed in this episode

• The legal system’s failure to recognize Black women’s intersectional oppression
• Crenshaw’s trapdoor and street intersection metaphors
• Gaslighting in law and social discourse
• Moynihan Report and structural racism
• The burden of perfectionism in white supremacy and capitalism
• Personal narratives of unlearning from fundamentalism

Resource mentioned

• "My Grandmother’s Hands" by Resmaa Menakem

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🎤 PROUD MEMBER OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

In this episode, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive deep into Sylvia Rivera’s 2001 speech, "Bitch on Wheels." They unpack Rivera’s righteous rage, explore the erasure of trans voices in LGBTQ history, and reflect on the importance of solidarity and intersectionality in the fight for liberation. This raw speech from a legendary activist is just as urgent today.

This week’s text: ✍️ “Bitch on Wheels” by Sylvia Rivera

This week’s guest: Taina Brown is a justice-centered DEI consultant and co-host of the Messy Liberation podcast. She brings an academic and embodied lens to conversations about liberation, identity, and collective care.

Find Taina:
🌐 https://www.ifthenand.org/
🎧 https://messyliberation.com
📱 Instagram

Discussed in this episode

• Sylvia Rivera’s legacy and speech context
• Stonewall riots from a trans perspective
• Marsha P. Johnson and Rivera’s activism
• Respectability politics and performative feminism
• White saviorism, allyship, and call-in vs. call-out
• Suicide and mental health in the trans community
• The role of anger in activism
• Collective care and intersectionality

Resources mentioned

• Lee Brewster history

🎤 PROUD MEMBER OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

In this powerful conversation, Becky Mollenkamp and Faith Clarke unpack Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s iconic essay *We Should All Be Feminists*. They explore how feminism intersects with race, colonization, shame, and identity. Faith shares deep insights from a Black Caribbean lens, and the two reflect on how culture is created—and can be disrupted.

This week’s text: ✍️ “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This week’s guest: Faith Clarke is an organizational health and inclusion specialist for organizations committed to healthy workplace culture. She’s redefining work ecosystems for post-pandemic humans looking to do work better. From computer programmer on Wall Street to autism advocate to organizational health expert, Faith’s whole career has been influenced by systems and engineering—she helps people by creating systems that integrate human motivation.

Find Faith:
🌐 https://faithclarke.com

Discussed in this episode

• Chimamanda’s evolving views on trans women and nuance in public dialogue
• Patriarchy’s harm to men and the myth of neutrality
• The prison of whiteness and how identity shapes oppression
• Black women’s complicated relationship with feminism
• Storytelling and culture-building as resistance
• Shame, fear, and the backlash to DEI
• Social Change Now framework by Deepa Iyer
• Misogynoir and internalized misogyny

Resources mentioned

• Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer

🎤 PROUD MEMBER OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE