We like to think the world is built on concrete truths; unshakable facts about who we are and how we live. But much of what governs our lives is something we made up: social constructs. These ideas, categories, and norms created and agreed upon by societies, not written into the laws of nature. Race, gender, and sexuality are among the most influential of these constructs. They aren’t real in the sense that gravity or oxygen are real; we built them, named them, and agreed to their meanings. And yet, they carry immense weight, shaping our opportunities, identities, and even the way we move through the world. This is the paradox: something invented can still have real consequences.

Social constructionism is the framework that explains this phenomenon. It shows us that the world we know is, in large part, a product of collective agreement. Race is not a biological truth – there’s no scientific “gene” for being Black or white. Gender isn’t directly entirely anatomy; it’s a system of roles and expectations assigned at birth. Sexuality is not an unchanging, universal truth; it’s shaped by cultural attitudes and recognition. Despite their lack of inherent reality, these constructs form the scaffolding of our political and social hierarchies. They decide who gets centered and who gets pushed to the margins.

Discrimination exists largely because these constructs are enforced. Without race as a social category, there would be no “racism” – not because prejudice would magically vanish, but because the lines that divide us wouldn’t exist to begin with. Without rigid ideas of gender, sexism wouldn’t have a foundation. Without the policing of sexuality, homophobia and transphobia would lose their targets. It’s not that humans wouldn’t fund other ways to create hierarchies; history suggests we probably would; but the structures we live under now rely heavily on these made-up distinctions.

And yet, while these constructs can harm, they can also provide a sense of identity, belonging, and community. Being Black is not just about surviving systemic racism – it’s also about culture, resilience, and pride built within that shared experience. Being queer or nonbinary can mean facing stigma, but it can also mean finding liberation in living authentically and connection with others who understand you. Biological characteristics and social ones intersect to form complex human experiences. A Black woman’s life is shaped both by the physical realities of her body and the societal meanings attached to her race and gender. A queer nonbinary white person exists at the intersection of biology, culture, and personal truth, benefiting from one but not from the other. Their life story unfolding within the space where the real and the constructed meet.

Social constructs may be human inventions, but they’re powerful forces. They can wound, but they can also unify. The challenge is not in pretending they don’t exist, but in dismantling the ways they are weaponized, while preserving the ways they can empower and connect us. After all, if we built these categories, we also have the power to rebuild them into something that serves us all.