LibraryScenariosWhy tokenism hurts even well-meaning allies
Scenario

Why tokenism hurts even well-meaning allies

I got a job at an NGO working on LGBTQ issues but they want me to be the face of hijra representation and I just want to do the administrative work.

Juana
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

Being reduced to a symbolic representation denies the complexity of individual desires and capabilities.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with South Asian gender diversity — hijra and kothi?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.