ABSTRACT
What follows is an exploration of what I call the terrible dichotomy, the idea of being legitimate and illegitimate all at once, and the conflict that stems from it. This dichotomy occurs when parts of our identities are validated and other parts are oppressed. This stems from the intersectionality that exists when multiple parts of our identity are at play at once, for example our culture and our gender. My il/legitimacy centers around the ideas of ability/disability and my social roles as student/faculty, but they can exist in any parts of our identity, including for example age, spirituality, nationality, gender, race or socioeconomic status.
