Sexuality and Intersectionality

"Tell a hater, fuck you.They keep comin,tellin me these bitches mad, what's new?"

Overview:

This room will examine the controversy and hate surrounding rap icon Megan Thee Stallion. Using The Stallion, we will be investigating intersectionality and how these intersections create an environment that results in those a part of multiple marginal communities (in this case black women) being forced to succumb to the role of otherness in the dominant society.

Who Is Megan Thee Stallion?

Megan Thee Stallion born Megan Pete is an American rapper and songwriter. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Known for her explicit and sexual lyrics, Megan has received a lot of attention and media coverage being considered the "queen of the new wave of rap". Though with all this media coverage Megan Thee Stallion has been on the receiving end of constant ridicule and harassment online. From her looks to her talent, Thee Stallion can be considered a controversial figure in popular culture.

Thee Stallion Is Queer?

When thinking about Megan Thee Stallion, many assume she is a straight woman. From her explicit lyrics detailing her sexual encounters with men to her on-stage performances, the assumption of her sexuality isn't surprising. From the outside, she is just seen as other straight celebrities who show her support for the LGBTQIA+ but in actuality, she has on several accounts announced her queerness. From her songs like 'Captain Hook' discussing sexual relations with a woman to her outright saying she likes girls in an interview with City Girl's Caresha on Caresha Please. Meg has always been the bisexual representation the world needs.

The Hate Train

"marginal group members, lacking power and privilege although engaged in heterosexual behavior have often found themselves defined as outside the norms and values of dominant society" (Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens)

Credit: Kiara Hamilton (11/30/2024)

Why Is Everyone Hating on Thee Stallion?

When thinking about all the hate and harassment that Megan is receiving on a constant basis you start to wonder why. Why is a successful independent woman being constantly bullied and her name ran through the mud on the internet? What makes her so different from other artists who are getting praised for doing the same thing she gets hated for? The answer is very simple, she is a queer black woman...

"Not all women experience sexism in the same way, and for women of color sexism is not the only oppression"

-Gloria Anzuldua, Bridge, Drawbridge, Sandbar, or Island pg.143

Intersectionality

"What do you call being impacted by multiple forces and then abandoned to fend for yourself? Intersectionality seems to do it for me"

-Kibmberle Crenshaw

Intersectionality can be defined as multiple forms of oppression and discrimination coming together to create a unique experience for those in overlapping marginalized communities to navigate and survive.

In the case of Megan Thee Stallion, she is having to navigate through these systems of discrimination in a very public way that is leading to her having to come to her own defense every time these overlapping systems of hate are used to derail her character and experiences.

Megan Thee Stallion, a black female performer who many associate with performing her gender and sexuality in heterosexual spaces and for the male gaze will always be considered to be outside the heterosexual sphere. This is because even if Megan Thee Stallion weren't so outward sexual or "too explicit" in her discography she would always be considered to be outside the perceived heteronormative culture. After all, black women are already considered to be outside the scope of heteronormativity.

Being Outside the Dominant Culture

Outside of Heteronomativity

"sexuality and sexual deviance from a prescribed norm have been used to demonize and to oppress various segments of the population, even some classified under the label 'heterosexual'." (Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens, pg.457)

Heteronomativity is built on the social system in which people of color are opposed to the dominant white culture. While whiteness is associated with purity and "sexually in order" those who aren't associated with whiteness are considered to be "sexually deviant" and outside the norms of heterosexuality. When we push these marginalized racial groups into a category of otherness it leads to different systems of society to police and regulate their bodies.

The Black Woman Experience

Hamilton Kiara. 2024.Black Girl Listen Up!, 2024.Brown Skinned Girl Zine

Megan's Approach To Dealing With The Intersections of Hate

Hiss, MEGAN (2024)

Cobra, MEGAN (2024)

Black Women Liberation: Megan Thee Stallion Feminism

The New York Times. Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women. 2020 (Youtube)

Megan Thee Stallion In Her Words Documentary (Prime video)

With all the trials and tribulations that Megan has faced in her time in the spotlight, we see a new emergence of black women's liberation. She is breaking through these barriers that intersectionality has imposed on her and creating a new standard of what it means to be a black woman. From her liberating songs about reclaiming her body and sexuality to her being so vocal about her own experiences and being a predominant voice for marginalized women, Meg is the new symbol of women in marginalized communities taking back their stories and bodies from systems that try and regulate them.

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