Kirsty Went, Year 13 Student in the UK, Deputy Head Girl and upcoming English Literature Undergraduate talks to me about her explorations and understanding of intersectional feminism. Kirsty first spoke to me about the need for more relevant, in-depth and practical support for students about consent, gender equality and equity, sexual harassment, allyship and keeping womxn safe. Our conversations continued and we shared our experiences and feelings about the gaps, lack of representation and understanding of the lived experiences of women on the National Curriculum. Kirsty's experiences, although diverse in some ways, were still predominantly limited to the mainstream White, Western theories and understandings of feminism. 

After reading Lola Olufemi's Feminism, Interrupted, Kirsty got back in touch with me with a passion to share and push more learning and representation of the different cultural, political, economic, familial, historical, generational (and more!), experiences of womxn. Her readings and explorations have led to her great interests in intersectional feminism, which effectively breaks down and challenges the mainstream feminism the majority of us are familiar with. Kirsty is keen to ensure students and teachers at every school learn to ally with womxn and promote gender equity for all by learning about nuance, diverse perspectives, diverse histories and how we can all be social justice activists and gender equity allies from simply lifting a book, reading and learning. 

This is a fantastically candid episode in which we can all learn about the art of discussion and nuance from a student who wants to encourage more empathetic, curious and challenging conversations at school: exactly what school should be!