Addressing Our Histories: Disability & LGBTQ+ Communities on the Path to Solidarity

A panel discussion on legal and medical precedents that have led to the division between the disability and LGBTQ+ communities.

When: 12/4/23 from 6-8 PM EST
Where: Zoom — Register on Zoom 

Accessibility: ASL interpreters CART English and translated captioning
Learn more on our website:

Panelists:
Simone Chriss, Director of Transgender Rights Initiative at Southern Legal Counsel, Inc.
Katherine Pérez, Director of the The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation
Victoria M. Rodríguez-Roldán, Coordinator of State Autism Strategy for Maryland Department of Disabilities
Morénike GO, global activist-scholar, author, and community leader
Claudia Center, Legal Director of Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

Full event description:
The history between the LGBTQ+ community and the disability community is often at odds with each other. Historically, LGBTQ+ identities were viewed as mental illnesses, and many within the LGBTQ+ community rightfully rejected this. However, debility and harm from LGBTQ+ oppression and discrimination leading to worse health outcomes can cause disability. In fact, despite trans and non-binary people being explicitly listed within the ADA as unable to qualify for ADA protections, developing legal precedent finds that gender dysphoria can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. There is much to unpack within these histories, and our panelists will thoroughly explain how these communities have been pinned against each other. Panelists will also speak to how these histories have led to the anti-LGBTQ+ and ableist legislation we are seeing today passed in Florida and across the country. We want to uplift the experiences of disabled & LGBTQ+ identifying people and discuss the often-unspoken history between these two communities as a way to regain power and comfort in these identities.

Image description: Decorative event graphic featuring text info from post and images of panelists.