Where do disabled women fit into IWD?

Happy belated International Women's Day! 

Yesterday was a fantastic day to spend on social media. Women came out in numbers to celebrate themselves and each other, and it was a joy to witness.

Within the disability community, it was so lovely to see women's faces and words shared with pride. It was a great reminder of who I'm showing up for, and why I'm so proud of being in this space. 

That said, there was a common thread in a lot of what was shared — and that was that there's still so much work to be done when it comes to including disabled women on days like IWD.

Where we’re lacking in IWD (and feminism in general)

I look at days like International Women's Day and wonder why disabled women are still not included as important voices to listen to, with important, intersectional experiences to witness.

Why are we still not making space for disabled women to show up? To collaborate? To contribute? 

And I'm not just referring to including disabled women in your visuals and panels and brand collaborations — although that's an important and necessary step forward — but also ensuring they can access your events, read your messaging, and deliver feedback in a format that works for them.

This also needs to go beyond IWD. If you're investing in women and creating inclusive experiences for women — whether that's your employees, partners, or customers — it has to include disabled women as well. 

Feminism and feminist movements can't be successful unless they include all women. The women who choose to speak up for our community and herald more inclusion for them, need to include women who sit at different intersections. They have to include women who experience different systems of oppression, whether that's ableism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ageism, classism, and more.  

As Audre Lorde said: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” 

I'll say it again: the fight for the liberation of women has to include disabled women. It has to include women with different perspectives and narratives. 

Most importantly, today, it has to include Palestinian women and all other women facing genocide and severe instability at the hands of an oppressor.

When we incorporate varied experiences of womanhood, our movements become richer, stronger, and more impactful. 

This is why — despite sometimes wobbling — I continue to make noise and take up space. I continue to do all I can to represent the disability community, speaking up for our needs and the need for representation. 

And I invite you to do the same! In whatever way feels comfortable to you.

Before I sign off, I want to share the “OMG WTF” moment I had yesterday.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a MASSIVE RuPaul's Drag Race fan. I've watched the US, Canadian, and UK seasons multiple times, and I adore so many of the queens on the shows. Yesterday, one of the drag queens from RPDR UK, Divina de Campo shared my post on Instagram! It was such a cool feeling to know that something I wrote had reached someone I've admired for years, and that they were open to sharing it with their community.

Squee!

Now to take that energy into the next week!