Ableism in MOGAI + Queer Spaces Part 1
[Pt: Ableism in MOGAI + Queer Spaces Part 1 end pt]
I wanted to come on here and make a post about things that I have noticed regarding ableism in the Queer community, and, specifically, also within the MOGAI community.
This is an uncomfortable conversation, and I encourage you to sit with that discomfort. Allow yourself to feel it, and understand where it comes from, and try to figure out what to do with it. Recognize that it is understandable to feel uncomfortable, and, honestly, in discussions about bigotry, entirely common. (Also, know, if you do not feel discomfort or uncomfortable, that is ok too, and I want you to be just as welcome and involved in the discussion as those who do, if you so choose to be.)
[Pt: Accessibility end pt]
First, I will start off with something that is mainly in MOGAI spaces. Accessibility and lack of accessibility is a conversation that does not come up anywhere near enough. This arises in a myriad of ways. The main ways I am going to address are: lack of image descriptions, lack of plain text, lack of eyestrain warning, lack of flash warnings, and usage of inaccessible text.
There are many instances where someone posts a flag, or a term, and one posts it without an image description, and this creates a post that is inaccessible. The same can be said about lack of plain text: it creates a post that can only be viewed and understood by certain people, and not others, which creates an accessibility issue. For some, their screenreaders may not read the post, and for others, it may cause headaches or eyestrain.
Flashing images, gifs, and moving images also can cause seizures, migraines, eyestrain, paranoia, or a wide array of other issues. I am not saying that one can never use these, but rather, if used, they should be appropriately tagged, in order to prevent harm to others.
(This list is not comprehensive.)
When creating posts, especially in a community that is focused around intersectionality, one should absolutely consider how to make the post accessible for as many as possible. Please consider these, as they are major barriers that can render an entire community impossible to interact with for some, and that simply is not fair or equitable.
I will add, everyone makes mistakes, and we, personally, are still learning, and constantly still improving the accesibility of blogs that we manage. However, there is a reluctance to change, and a borderline aggression towards those who criticize said reluctance, and I find it to be frustrating and upsetting.
[Pt: Wording / Slur Usage end pt]
There is also a huge issue of the words that people use. Some are phrases and words that are outdated/incorrect, or offensive, and others are words that are derogatory, all the way to slurs.
Quite a few of these are words that lack proper education surrounding them, and my post will only go so far, so I sincerely urge you to do your own research on your own time. (Or, feel free to send me an ask and I will send a few links about it.)
I am going to list the words and phrases and very briefly explain their meanings, history, and/or connotations.
Crazy - This is a term that *is* a slur/derogatory. It originated to mean sickly and diseased, and then developed into a term used to describe mentally ill individuals.
Cripple - This is a slur. This term is used against physically disabled people, and it refers to one who is disabled, with connotations of assuming they are "defective." I see this used when describing things, ex; "crippling anxiety," which is inaccurate unless you are physically disabled by the anxiety.
Insane - A slur/derogatory term meaning one who is disordered and has an unreasonable or ill way of thinking.
Lame - A slur that is used to refer to those who are physically disabled, most often those who cannot walk, or have mobility impairments.
"Must be blind" / "you'd have to be blind" (variants) - I often see this phrase used when people are referring to how absurd it is that someone did not notice or know something. This is ableist language, as it refers to a disability, blindness, as a negative thing that makes someone worse than another. It is used in an improper context, and should phase out of the common lexicon.
Narcissist (not referring to NPD) / Narcissistic Abuse - This is a term I see thrown around absolutely all the time. Those with NPD are not a monolith, and also are not inherently abusive. Phrases, and word usages, like this imply that they are. Narcissistic Abuse is not a thing, and, though abuse one faces is absolutely real, this is not the way of referring to it, and calling your abuser a narcissist just makes you ableist and hurts pw/NPD. No disorder is a type of abuse. (Ex: depression abuse, or anxiety abuse. Both sound ridiculous! That is how Narcissistic abuse sounds. It doesn't describe the abuse, it describes the person's disorders, and that is not how abuse is categorized.)
No empathy (as an insult/hateful remark) - Folks often use this phrase as a hateful remark in political or heated discussions. "You feel [x] way. You must have no empathy!" This is absolutely ableist, as many people do not feel empathy, or have low empathy. This does not make someone a bad person, nor should it be used to determine whether or not someone is "good" or "bad."
This list is by no means comprehensive. I just listed a few of the common phrases and words I've heard.
I have a lot more to say, but we will be making a second post, and potentially a third, about this same topic, of ableism in MOGAI and Queer spaces. I think the dialogue should be started, and continued, and wanted to help facilitate discussion.
Feel free to ask to be tagged in the next posts, as we hope to share this with others, as this topic is very important to me.
Tagging a few blogs I feel may be interested in this discussion; @radiomogai @goatgai
Sneak Peek for the next posts:
Discussion of ableism towards those who speak differently (whether due to disorganized speech, semiverbality, etc.), Infantalization of certain traits, fakeclaiming, ignoring people when they show symptoms, Demonization of traits, hate towards certain disorders, and much more!
