Of great importance, as I have said in another context, the image of Texas has a gender and a race: “Texas is a White man.”
As an Okie, this has huge significance for me. My whole life, I've genuinely thought I hated Texans. Truth is, I've just disliked WHITE MALE Texans. In my brain, that centers whiteness, I had unquestioningly dismissed the claim that ALL Texans of color (especially Black Texans) had to claim their state. Truth is, I dislike many WHITE MALE Californians, too.
