Posted on 6/19/2003, 12:04:39 PM by Behind Liberal Lines
A local group is now supporting and focusing on issues for those identifying themselves as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer and who also have a disability.
"There's a lot of very similar 'coming to grips' experiences for people with disabilities as there are with people who are gay," says the Finger Lakes Independence Center's Larry Roberts, who runs the support group. "When you're both, there's a lot that you need to deal with."
The group, which has been meeting for about a year and a half, meets the second Tuesday of every month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Finger Lakes Independence Center in Ithaca.
Roberts says the group does not pressure anyone to choose a specific label in terms of a disability or sexuality, and the variety makes the group interesting.
Often, the group conversation turns to what it's like to identify with both. "A lot of people in the group have less obvious disabilities and struggle with what other people assume if they can't see a disability," Roberts says. He adds that the support group opens people up and makes connections between those who share the same struggles.
"One of the big assumptions for people with disabilities is that we don't have sex. We have sex," he says.
He says stereotypes about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and queers coupled with assumptions about people with disabilities often makes members of the group feel isolated.
"Here, people meet other people and know that they are not alone," he says "What's interesting about this support group is how much people do have in common and the variety is quite nice."
Some members have been coming for awhile, and others come and go. Besides the support, the group also meets for coffee and social activities.
"A lot of people just find it to be a good place to come and feel welcome and accepted and recognized," he says. He adds that having a disability is a common reality for many people, and that does not exclude the LGBTQ community.
"We're not super special people, just people who need to have some support," he said.
At the time, Watt's statement was considered insensitive. Dress up the language a little bit and that's precisely what the director of this "LGBT" group is saying.
How times change.
I have a question. Would a gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer person who also had an amputation fetish be qualified for assistance? Or would suggesting that someone who underwent voluntary amputation is "disabled" be offensive in and of itself?
I mean, I'm sure that many gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer people with amputation fetishes probably consider that a "feature" more than a "disability".
I hope I haven't offended any gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer people with amputation fetishes, I'm just trying to understand, really...
Sort of this...
+ 
It will then be suggested that a place be made at the table so that a representative of this group will be involved in the running of whatever process that particular structure has, city transportation, public housing, police-citizen communications, and so on, for example. We see this model today in some cities where "the leaders of the black community" are given voice/clout by virtue of their "characteristic" that far exceedes what they'd have by a normal democratic process.
These lefties want a shift from "one man, one vote," to "all characteristics/interests equally represented."
Transgenders have already undergone a voluntary amputation.
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