LGBTQIA+ Issues
Disability Justice Must Include All Marginalized Identities
When Rooted in Rights first accepted me for their inaugural Rooted in Writing Fellowship program last year, my reaction was one of pure disbelief. For all that I have struggled in my post-grad life to make writing a full-time career, …
Midterm Elections are Over, But Our Work for Disability Representation in Government Isn’t Done
Minority groups have always been under- or un-represented in office - a fact that has left far too many voices out of the process of creating the laws we all must live by.
Why BDSM is a Healing Practice for My Mental Health
Tighter. Please. Keep my mind still. Help my mind stay in this body. I pray to anyone who will listen. Winding, twisting, knotting, allowing myself to be tied into place. Tying the knots so tight my mind will not stray …
Why We All Need to Fight for the Rights of Transgender Disabled People
It’s a difficult time to be disabled in America. We are stretched thin, fighting for our lives on multiple fronts. And when your own house is on fire, it’s understandable to feel that you lack the resources to fight for…
The Disability Intersectionality Summit: A Gathering for Justice
On a damp and chilly Saturday in mid-October, I rolled out of bed several hours earlier than I usually would have in order to attend the biannual Disability Intersectionality Summit in nearby Cambridge, Mass on the MIT campus. Groggy but …
Embracing My Queer, Disabled Identity
I realized I am not straight my junior year of college. I had a massive crush on my friend, a girl. I still liked guys, though, so I figured I was bisexual, or pansexual, or whatever you want to use…
Sex Education is for Everyone. Even Disabled Kids.
We live in a society that desexualizes disabled bodies. This allows the topics of sex and sexuality to be left out of the educations of many young disabled people. As disabled students head back into the classroom this year, this…
I Celebrate Disability Pride, But Am I Really Proud of My Mental Illness?
When advertising for this year’s New Orleans Disability Pride Festival I was blown away by the positive responses we received, but there was one outlier expressing their disapproval whose words I just cannot shake. Amid the cries of “This is…