Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” Lorde was born in 1934 and died in 1992, and the bulk of her output came between the years of 1970 and 1990. She is best known as a leading voice in contemporary feminist thought and literature. Significantly, she attacked white women for their complicit role in the patriarchy of society. Among her peers, she was viewed with an amount of disdain, as her views were very accusatory and confrontational. She very controversially equated white feminists with white slave-masters, claiming that their failure to acknowledge the differences among women simply continued traditions of oppression.

A better way to describe these differences is this: the experience of black women is necessarily different from white women. However, white women are considered the “normal” subset of women and black women are considered the “outsiders” even within the gender. Also, lesbians are considered “outsiders” within the construct of feminism. It is these separations that Lorde argued against. She sought to validate the experience of all women, black, white, lesbian, straight, etc. Unfortunately, the critics of her theories believed that by calling out feminists who were guilty of these generalizations, she would not help to unite those fighting for similar causes. It was thought that despite the common goal, infighting and personal vendettas would mar the ideal instead of promote it.

After Lorde’s death, an organization was formed in New York to promote progressive ideas among queer people of color. The center, called the Audre Lorde Project, is an important part of LGBT activism in America.