I am NOT a "protected class".
I am among the most privileged class. Cishet white male. Middle class - briefly upper middle, sometimes free lunch poor. At one point young and athletic, reasonably decent looking (once, arguably (maybe only me making the argument)).
I can not claim to know the lived experiences of those not the most privileged.
But, like I often come to understand, my tendencies towards apparent altruism are extensions of my own experiences.
While I not be diverse from The Us, and I never need lift to Equity, I understand some struggle to be included.
We don't need to experience the same level of pain to feel compassion towards others in pain.