Disability and Pride
As both a queer and disabled therapist, I have the responsibility and privilege to be aware of how accessibility and pride intersect. I was disabled before I ever knew I was queer, and now as the Covid-19 pandemic continues thriving in our spaces, I feel inclined to speak on how I believe that there is no equality or equity until we can ALL experience pride and community in a safe environment.
Pride would never have been possible without our most vulnerable community members speaking up. The Human Rights Campaign reports that around 36% of LGBTQ+ people identify as disabled in some way. Although disabled people have rights protected by the American with Disabilities Act, I know from personal experience and stories from friends how we can be passed up for job opportunities, experience (micro)aggressions from authority, and be plain ignored when asking for support from medical professionals. The National Institute for Health estimated the average life expectancy of someone with a registered disability that falls under governmental rights is just under 50 years while a non-disabled person is around 80. Additionally, a disabled person is more likely to struggle with their mental health due to a variety of factors including pain, monetary stress (thanks, Capitalism), discrimination, direct violence, and isolation.
When I see another person with my disease “out in the wild,” there is an instant connection. I can let my guard down because this other person gets it– gets me in a way that people who don’t have to act as a vital organ 24/7 literally cannot. And if this other person is also queer? They basically become my best friend for however long that conversation lasts. It’s the common ground that makes these different communities feel warm and safe for me.
I’m lucky in a sense that my diseases don’t affect my lung flow and I am physically able to work both online and in-person. I’m lucky that I survived Covid with narrowly avoiding a hospital stay. I know many people and are connected by friends who are not this lucky. Covid is a mass-disabling event and for those who were already disabled, a mass-extinction event. Depending on the news source, anywhere from 20%-60% of the people who have passed from Covid were disabled. I remember watching the news in 2021 or early 2022 and was deeply affected by the reporter who said, almost gleefully, that it’s mostly disabled people who have passed away and that’s great news. As if disabled lives are disposable. As if my life and my friends' lives are worthless. Now let's add in the hate and vitriol our elected politicians are spewing about queer people across the country. It’s horrifying/terrifying/rage inducing/despair laden/disgusting.
So, with all that being said, what can we do?
I believe in a disease mitigation method. That means wearing masks indoors and outdoors when in densely populated areas; not going places when feeling any type of sickness; prioritizing rest over productivity to better support my immune system; asking for assistance and time off when needed; and socializing with other queer and disabled folks in my community. I do not believe it is asking too much for other people to value disabled people’s lives. I do not believe it is asking too much to value queer people's lives. The more of us there are in the world, the louder and prouder we are, the communities we live in are better for it. If not for us, we wouldn’t have a Pride celebration to begin with.
I am disabled and proud. I am queer and proud. I show my pride by working with my community in a professional and personal space. Would you join me in making the world safer for people like me?
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HRC Foundation, 2023. Understanding Disability in the LGBTQ+ Community. https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-disabled-lgbtq-people
LGBTQ+ Map, 2023. LGBT People with Disabilities. https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/LGBT-People-With-Disabilities.pdf
Roberts, 2020. The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html
