Friend, this week marks the first week of Black History Month. As we take the time to celebrate and honor Black History Month, we’re also feeling heartbroken, frustrated, and angry at the continued police violence headlining news across the country. We share in the grief and recognize the trauma that Black communities are feeling as the world watches another case of police brutality unfold. If you or someone you know needs support, we’re always here.

In honor of Black History Month, we’re releasing a new guide to help people better understand how the unique identities held by LGBTQ young people related to religion, race, class, and more can affect the way in which they experience society. We hope you’ll take the time to read more in our guide on Intro to Intersectionality.

What is intersectionality? The theory of intersectionality was first introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Black feminist scholar, in the examination of the ways that Black women experienced harsher oppression than white women due to the overlapping of their racial and gender identities. Through the work of Crenshaw and others, we now understand intersectionality to be the way in which individuals are empowered — or oppressed — by how their identities overlap or connect. Identities can include: race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, and the many other layers that make us who we are.

Intersectionality is crucial to the research conducted by The Trevor Project. By looking at our results through multiple lenses, important learnings on how the combination of identities can put young people more at risk of experiencing systemic discrimination and oppression, negatively impacting their mental health, can be developed.

Thank you for being a part of our work to continue educating on intersectionality to create a world that empowers all young people and uplifts their many identities.