June marks Pride month around the world, prompting celebrations of love, diversity and the progress that has been made toward acceptance. While thousands celebrate worldwide, people from the disability community reflect on their own experiences navigating Pride celebrations and accessibility.
Here are three disability themed pride stories to check out:
LGBTQIA Wheelchair Users Share their Stories
Grab your favorite summertime beverage and enjoy some stories about LGBTQIA people with disabilities, who delve into how intersectionality affects their lives. From biracial to transgendered individuals sharing their experiences of coming out, to same sex disabled couples reflecting on their weddings, United Spinal Association has thought-provoking stories of real people in Canada navigating various identities.
I’m Queer and Disabled. Pride Isn’t Accessible for me
Karli Drew shares her experience of living with a rare neuromuscular condition and navigating Pride month from an accessibility perspective. She reflects on her ongoing fears about COVID as she is immunocompromised, and talks about the importance of including lived experience on planning committees of large scale Pride events
Disabled, queer and fabulous’ find a place of their own in the dating world
Jay Baldwin, who has Cerebral Palsy talks about how they have been discriminated against on the dating scene and Amy McPherson, a Toronto based research scientist discusses her current endeavour to demystify sexuality and relationships for the disability community through the creation of inclusive spaces.
On behalf of SCIO, we wish our community a very happy world pride!