Feminist to Know: Cherríe Moraga

Cherríe Moraga is a lesbian, xicana feminist poet, activist, essayist, and playwright. Her work focuses largely on the intersections of her own lesbianism, identity as a Latina woman, and class. In 1981, she co-edited the seminal anthology This Bridge Called My Back with Gloria Anzaldúa which collected writings from feminists of color and soon became a foundational text for feminist studies.

Moraga is also widely known for her contributions to chicana feminism, which analyzes the particular socio-political struggles and successes of Xicana women (people of Mexican descent born in the United States). In particular, she is credited as being one of the first people to bring attention to Xicana lesbianism. Moraga founded La Red Xicana Indígena, which supports political, educational and cultural work of Xicana communities.

Moraga, disappointingly, was one of the prominent lesbians to deride trans men’s decisions to transition, contributing to the concept of “butch flight.” However, her contributions to the feminist movment in the United States have been immense, particularly with regard to intersections of race, indigeneity, gender, and sexuality.