Every year in July, as LGBTQ+ Pride month is winding down it becomes Disability Pride’s turn to shine.
In celebration of this ParaPride, in partnership with Stonewall Spirits, are sharing experiences of what it means to be LGBTQ+ and disabled and accessibility in LGBTQ+ venues, which are very important culture hubs to a lot of our people.
We caught up with Crip Ladywood, who shares their perspective of why the Social Model of disability is important.
ParaPride: Hey Crip, it is always a pleasure getting to speak with you! We know you well, but for those who don't, would you mind sharing a self-introduction?
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Crip: I'm Crip Ladywood, the big bi batchelor, Birmingham's fruitiest vegetable, disabled Drag King extraordinaire! I'm a bisexual genderqueer performer, England's first wheelchair using Drag King, and winner of Europe's biggest Drag King competition.
ParaPride: We are happy to testify you always put on an incredible show.
Which prompts; how did you get involved with ParaPride?
Crip: It's not a Pride event without drag, and luckily for me ParaPride has great taste in disabled drag kings. I have performed at the last two ParaPride events, and it's been a real honour to get to roll with so many wonderful disabled LGBTIQ+ people, and spread some queer crip joy!
ParaPride: We are so proud to be able to have you perform at our events As you put it, spreading joy is what its all about.
Another key factor of our events of course is that they are as accessible as possible to everyone. Whats your take on venue accessibility generally?
Crip: Accessibility really varies everywhere. I'm lucky that I live in Birmingham where many of the local venues have wheelchair access for patrons (The Village Inn, The Loft, Missing Bar, Sidewalk, The Nightingale Club, Boltz etc...), and as the access lead for Birmingham Pride, I'm really proud about how accessible our festival is. However in other large cities, like Manchester, Liverpool and London I often really struggle to get in the front door. Not only does it stop me simply being part of the queer nightlife it stops me working in those spaces. And while being part of the nightlife is important, I don't think we talk enough about how it also reduces job options for disabled people. As disabled people we are well over 22% of the population, and some estimates suggest we are as much as 33% of the LGBTIQ+ population. If venues are not including us, they are not including queer people.
ParaPride: You make a really interesting point. When focusing on where accessibility improvements need to be made, it is sometimes easy to forget to celebrate when it is done well.
I can't wait to hit up some of those Birmingham bars. To people reading along: drop us a message via our Contact Us page if you have any other recommendations for venues that do accessibility well!
Last question for you Crip: What can others do to be better allies to our LGBTQ+ disabled community?
Crip: I honestly believe that they should learn about the Social Model of disability. It's a different way of looking at disability from the one most are taught (where we are medical tragedies, destined to lead less fulfilling lives, occasionally gifted joy but philanthropists), that asks why we assume some lives can be left behind, and how those assumptions shape the world we create to create a self fulling prophecy. It suggests that maybe the blame for disabled peoples marginalisation and oppression shouldn't fall on the disabled individuals body and mind, but rather on a world that isn't designed to include them but is designed to keep reinforcing that marginalisation.
About the ParaPride & Stonewall Sprits Partnership
For the months of July – Sep 2024 ParaPride is very grateful to be the beneficiary of Stonewall Spirits incredible ‘Drink & Donate’ pledge, where £1 from every Stonewall Spirits bottle & gift pack sale over this period will be donated to support’s ParaPride’s work.
Stonewall Spirits is a spirits brand that stands apart because their commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community extends beyond token representation during Pride month. They prioritise year-round advocacy, promotion and donations to LGBTQ+ charities (having raised around £10,000 so far).
The brand retells the important story of the ‘1969 Stonewall Riots’ and remembers the people who helped create the freedoms for future LGBTQ+ generations.
As an extra special treat, Stonewall Spirits are offering a 10% discount on all orders over this time. Use the code Parapride10 at the checkout at https://www.spiritofstonewall.com/ to access.