at the same time, being female has not seemed to hinder me in the way the outcry on Tumblr suggests it ought to. I have not been persecuted. I have not been held back in my career (as far as I am aware). I am fairly open about my bisexuality – the few people who have balked at this have worked through it with me. sure, cruelty is in the world, but it does not touch me so often. is this because of my privilege? is this because of myself, individually, doing something in a specific way that saves me from those encounters?

also: at what point is a privilege something that was earned? I am paying for every penny of my education that was not rewarded to anyone who applied for FAFSA, except for those I earned with my grades. my education has been bought with coffee-tinged sweat and brain-aching tears. I’m possibly lower-upper class now, because I earned a v. good job. BUT. did I “earn” it by being white? by wearing something accidentally sexy on interview day?

how can I be proud of anything I have ever done