By Jacob Anderson-Minshall — 2020
Three LGBTQ people are leading a revolution in how we think about disability and sexual freedom.
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CLEAR ALL
Creating spaces where the need to assimilate, conform, and belong are no longer important
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Although body positivity urges acceptance of all kinds of bodies, the movement still has room for improvement. Notably, people with disabilities, who through inaccessibility and lack of representation are often made to feel “other” by non-disabled folks.
Alex Dacy is a strong voice on Instagram for disabled body compassion and equality.
As a woman with a physical disability, I am usually glaringly aware of how my body is the polar opposite of what is deemed the norm.
Internalized ableism occurs when disabled people internalize stigmatizing messages in society, like the low expectations that are often placed on those with disabilities. These expectations usually present in two ways.
In the beginning, it was difficult to let myself rest, even with the ultimate doctor’s note. I felt like I still had to push past my (extremely limited) capabilities. I had to practice slowing down and allowing my frailties to become visible even when I had the choice to hide them.
For many people, chronic illness/disability is not a short-term inconvenience but rather a long-term, often permanent way of life.
For LGBTQ youth in particular, the Internet can be a refuge—a safe place to feel less alone. For queer youth to feel normal, they need to see, read and hear the voices of others who look like them and use the same identifying labels.
“Representation and visibility is given to us by larger power structures, but what do we give ourselves? I’m more interested in that. What questions are we asking ourselves to grow and heal? To challenge the ways this world constantly teaches us to hate ourselves?”
Out pro wrestler Logan Black found the response to his coming out ‘overwhelming in the best way.’