Pride Month & the Exclusion of Queer Chronically Ill & Disabled People
"Masked sections" & "masks optional" aren't forms of accessibility
I am a queer chronically ill person. I have watched and experienced firsthand the impact of COVID on the disabled and chronically ill community - and I've watched the people around us ignore it so they can go back to their “normal” lives. I am aware of the factors that make queer people particularly vulnerable to COVID - socioeconomic status, lack of health insurance, homelessness, homophobia and transphobia from healthcare providers, medical gaslighting. Transgender and bisexual people are diagnosed with Long COVID at a higher rate than the rest of the population, yet most queer organizations are silent on this issue and have hosted events without precautions during Pride month, excluding many queer chronically ill people.
To see many queer people ignoring COVID, especially during a surge, and having large gatherings during Pride is such a betrayal from my own community. If Pride is about queer liberation, I do not see what is “liberating” about excluding disabled, immunocompromised queer people and ignoring a pandemic that is a threat to all of us. It is also a betrayal of queer people living with HIV who have also been diagnosed with Long COVID, a condition they are at a higher risk for according to studies. These maskless Pride celebrations are all by organizations who wouldn't dare to mention the number of queer people with Long COVID because the need for masks or disability solidarity aren’t something they're concerned about. It is also especially upsetting knowing mask bans are currently being proposed (and in North Carolina’s case, one has already been passed) and many queer organizations aren't speaking out against this.
Despite all this, I haven't let this disappointment prevent me from honoring the new traditions I formed for Pride month during the pandemic, such as taking the month to learn all that I can about queer history and listening to queercore playlists. I enjoyed seeing photos of the masked Pride celebrations and protests that some people organized thanks to mask blocs and other organizations. I remain inspired by ACT UP and other activists who fought for health justice in the face of severe oppression, just as many of us in both the queer and disability communities continue to today. This is what keeps me connected to queer history and queer liberation, not the maskless Pride celebrations that exclude people like me, queer people with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
If you would like to learn more about the mask bans and help take action against them regardless of where you live, read my previous blog post and look at the recommendations at the end of the post. I also recommend following the organization COVID Advocacy NY.
It is now Disability Pride month and COVID is surging right now, so if you weren't already, please protect yourself, fight mask bans, and show solidarity with the disability community by wearing a mask.