"Everything Else is Sort of Collateral Damage:" An Activist Group's Transition to an Intersectional Framework

This article explores five animal liberation activists' reflections on the role of intersectionality in the animal liberation movement. While each activist felt positive about embracing intersectionality, the data illuminated considerable barriers to building an intersectional movement based on 1) differing interpretations of what an intersectional practice means, 2) missing historical knowledge of the movement's origins, and 3) a consistent critique of how the economic and political landscape interact with the movement. This article argues that these gaps in knowledge are preventing the animal liberation movement at large from embracing intersectionality and identifying the extent of the damage a single-issue movement creates. Making deliberate efforts to raise a shared consciousness about the origins of the animal liberation movement, as well as the need for intersectionality to address the interlocked forces of oppression across species are presented as means to address these knowledge gaps to work toward total liberation.