One of the most ignored identities is the identity of being disabled. We as a society forget that not everyone is as able-bodied as we are. So in a society that ignored disabled individuals, it is easy to see how LGBTQ individuals who were disabled would be disproportionately ignored.

One of the main issues that face LGBTQ individuals who are disabled is the lack of sexual education. While there is a lack of sexual education for LGBTQ individuals and the LGBTQ community in a part has been fighting for better education, they continue to ignore education that is inclusive. Dr. Gray from Harvard Medical School said: “Too often adolescents with physical disabilities are told they don’t need to be in sex ed, that it doesn’t apply to them, but everyone needs that information” (Linhares). This is even truer for LGBTQ individuals with disabilities because LGBTQ sexual knowledge is not readily available and these individuals could seek harmful ways to learn and find out the information.

It was not until 2014 that leaders in the LGBTQ community even started to recognize the intersection between the LGBTQ community and those with disabilities. In an event held at the White House in 2014, LGBTQ individuals who were disabled were invited to a forum to discuss the intersection and work that could be done. (Patterson) While this event was a big milestone, very few if anything came from the event besides recognition that the issues did, in fact, interact with each other.

As with almost every LGBTQ individual, access to health care is a problem, but with individuals with disabilities access to health care and health insurance becomes more difficult when you add in the fact that those individuals can be rejected care or denied health insurance due to their LGBTQ status.

The LGBTQ community has made the first right step by recognizing that these identities due in fact intersect, but now the community needs to work for protections and rights of LGBTQ individuals with disabilities in their fight for equality.

 

Work Cited:

Linhares, Daniel. “Analysis: We Must Better Address the Needs of LGBT People with Disabilities.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 15 Sept. 2017, www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/analysis-we-must-better-address-needs-lgbt-people-disabilities-n801756.

Patterson, Emmett, et al. “Disability Justice Is LGBT Justice: A Conversation with Movement Leaders.” Center for American Progress, Center for American Progress, 15 Dec. 2015, www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2015/07/30/118531/disability-justice-is-lgbt-justice-a-conversation-with-movement-leaders/.

 

*NOTE: These issues could be expanded on and be their own post, but due to space and the topic they were condensed into this small synopsis and constrained to met the topic and not expanded on.*