A Note on Language: Naming Feminism with Dani Cervantes: 4

In this episode of **WTF: The Other F Word**, Dra. Leslie C. Sotomayor II and Dr. Katy Ballard welcome Dani Cervantes for a warm, reflective conversation on language, feminism, and the words we use to understand ourselves and each other. This conversation began with a question from Dani: not what these words mean in a dictionary or textbook, but what they mean to the people using them. Together, Leslie, Katy, and Dani open up terms that often move through academic, artistic, activist, and community spaces, including **feminist**, **patriarchy**, **queer**, **intersectionality**, **BIPOC**, **Latina**, **Latinx**, and **Dra.** Rather than arriving at perfect definitions, this episode makes space for curiosity, complexity, and care. The conversation explores how language can invite people into deeper understanding, and how it can also create distance when meanings are assumed or left unspoken. **In this episode, we explore:** - Why language matters in feminist, creative, and decolonial spaces - How words can carry history, identity, tension, and contradiction - The difference between intention and impact when using shared language - Why terms like feminist, BIPOC, queer, and Latinx can mean different things across communities - How language can include, exclude, clarify, or complicate - The responsibility of using words with care, openness, and humility - Why language is something we revisit, not something we fix once and for all At its heart, this episode is about relationship: to words, to histories, to ourselves, and to one another. It is an invitation to slow down, listen closely, and stay open to being challenged, corrected, and changed. If this conversation resonates, subscribe or follow **WTF: The Other F Word** wherever you listen. To stay connected between episodes, join the **WTF Dispatch** for reflections, updates, and invitations into feminist creative practice.