TBSATDH and White Femininity
The white men in Annalise’s life that attempt to defend her against the threat of Nathan are not concerned about her physical or emotional safety, they know Nathan is not actually a threat in that regard. They are not defending Annalise, they view Annalise as a symbol of white femininity, of white purity. This is what they are defending, and the threat is not Nathan. The threat is the consensual relationship between the two.
Annalise repeatedly betrays her white womanhood, actively pursuing a black boy and refusing to dehumanise him. Her power is unfeminine and violent (The Undoing, blowing people up), and the first time she ever uses her power it is against a white man who attempts to sexually assault her. This goes against the idea that white men are saviors of white women, and against the idea that white women are too weak to save themselves.
Compare this to her relationship with Nathan, where he always respects her consent and generally lets her take the lead. This disproves the Black Brute stereotype and humanises Nathan.
This show proves over and over again that white women are capable of extreme violence, either in the name of self-defence (as is the case with Annalise) or in the name of sadism and cruelty (as seen with Jessica). Despite the male authorities surrounding her, Analise reclaims her autonomy as someone who refuses to accept a racist system (though still having her own biases) and actively pursues and loves a black boy.
