Hello DTTS community!
I’m writing this newsletter at the end of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a beautiful time for celebration, as well as commemorating powerful acts of resistance by, especially, trans women of color. If you’re not familiar with the history of Pride’s origins and the Stonewall Uprising, read this essay by George M Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue. You may have heard the phrase “Pride was a riot” in the last few weeks. In their essay, Johnson explains how the activism, mutual aid, and protest at the heart of the first Pride is still crucial today, especially for people whose intersecting identities are a target for bigoted and oppressive legislation.
It has been horrifying to see the attacks—legal, political and physical—on the LGBTQ+ community in the US and around the world, particularly against trans people and their rights. With Disability Pride Month directly after in July, it’s a time to reflect on how solidarity, access, representation, and justice are values that all marginalized communities need right now.
With this in mind, I’d like to use this edition of the newsletter to feature some queer, disabled voices writing about the intersectionality of their experiences.
How radical acceptance of my disabled body made a mess (and clarity) of my gender acceptance (A. Andrews, Disability Visibility)
Writing on the Disability Visibility Project, A. Andrews poignantly reflects on their lifelong journey of dysphoria (gender, sexuality and body) and acceptance.
In learning to embrace myself as both a disabled person and a trans person, I am always learning that there are intersections of similitude between both identities. The two are not at odds with one another inside of me, but co-existing within me, each informing the other. It is true that both are seen subjectively by the outside world; that both are deemed wrong or imperfect in greater society; that both serve as spectacles for the world’s consumption and critique. And it is true that the ugly in the world doesn’t dictate truth. It only keeps us from being ourselves.
I had to come out twice — as queer and as disabled (Alaina Leary, HelloGiggles)
As someone who struggled to “come out” as disabled, this 2017 essay resonated with me. Alaina Leary writes about understanding intersectionality through her own experiences.
In the past year, I finally started walking with a bright purple cane, which makes my disability much more immediately visible, the kind of visibility I’m used to from years of walking down the street holding my girlfriend’s hand.
Mission: Accessible | Having a Gay Old Time in Brighton (Channel 4)
British comedian Rosie Jones places her intersecting identities as a disabled lesbian at the heart of her comedy, as well as her activism. She is a force for representation, calling for more disabled creators and entertainers in the industry. She also uses her comedy to highlight accessibility challenges, for example in this video where she helps a friend plan a big, gay weekend in the UK coastal city of Brighton.
LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities often feel 'desexualised' and overlooked, but things are getting better (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
From the other side of the globe, this recent article features disabled people talking about their experiences of desexualization within the queer community, and how things are improving. It’s exciting to read about the progress in cultural change happening elsewhere in the world, including how activists are working to make queer social spaces more accessible.
In Defense of Autistic Trans Self-Determination
All of Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha's work is worth reading, including their books Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice and The Future is Disabled. Along with Cyree Jarelle Johnson, they have written a powerful statement and call to action in response to anti-trans legislation. As they write: attempts to ban gender-affirming care for trans adults “display the ableism and trans hatred that fascism requires.”
And if you’re a social media user, there are tons of amazing LGBT disabled activists and influencers to follow online and continue the conversation.
Thanks for reading our newsletter this month. We’ll be back in your inboxes next month with more updates from the podcast and the disability community! In the meantime, don’t forget to catch up on Season 6 of Down to the Struts wherever you listen, and if you’re enjoying it (or this newsletter), please share with a friend.
In solidarity,
Qudsiya