The term intersectionality was coined by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. It refers to and describes how an individual’s personal traits and factors (race, gender, sexuality, etc.) overlap and intersect, and how these intersections impact the discrimination a person can face. For example, a heterosexual, Caucasian woman will face different disadvantages and obstacles when compared to a heterosexual, Indigenous woman.

To get a full explanation, and a lot of insight into where the term intersectionality came from and why it’s so important, check out Kimberlé Crenshaw in her TED Talk, The Urgency of Intersectionality below: