Every year in July, as LGBTQ+ Pride month is winding down it becomes Disability Pride’s turn to shine.
In celebration of this ParaPride, in partnership with Stonewall Spirits, are sharing experiences of what it means to be LGBTQ+ and disabled and accessibility in LGBTQ+ venues, which are very important culture hubs to a lot of our people.
We caught up with Alex Vasquez, to hear about their experiences with accessibility in LGBTQ+ spaces.
ParaPride: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us Alex, for people who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself?
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Alex: Hi! I’m Alex Vasquez (he/they). I’m a queer disabled activist and content creator on social media (@thewheelsblog). I am originally from Costa Rica but I moved to London in 2021.
ParaPride: We of course know you very well from your participation in the dis-section panel at our 2024 LGBTQ+ History Month event, but remind us, how did you first get involved with ParaPride?
Alex: During Pride 2023 I ran into the ParaPride social media team in the streets of London and we chatted about filming a short video for the cause and since then we became friends!
ParaPride: Of course and it was amazing seeing you there again this year! We are here to talk about one of our favourite topics: accessibility, particularly when it comes to our LGBTQ+ venues. What has been your experience with this?
Alex: Oh… it’s complicated! Back in Costa Rica, accessibility for LGBTQ+ spaces was very VERY limited. I thought once I moved to London that would be a thing of the past but the truth is that queer spaces continue to be quite inaccessible for wheelchair users in London and outside of it too. Just take any given club in Soho that has not been fully step free for ages. And it’s a shame because for queer people, these spaces continue to be an important way for meeting other queer people.
ParaPride: We hear you and its not just Costa Rica and London that struggle with it. Globally, it is such a common theme. Given that so many people associate the LGBTQ+ community’s values with equality, we have lot of opportunity to become truley actively inclusive. With such a big gap to getting to where we should be on this, what can others do to support this much needed change?
Alex: To continue talking about the lack of access is important. To elevate someone’s platform for these topics is also great. But honestly, real access comes from getting to know those queer disabled peeps around you to decrease the isolation of our communities. Real access comes with more than a ramp or a lift, but rather with dancing with us, having sex with us, loving us, and being with us.
About the ParaPride & Stonewall Sprits Partnership
For the months of July – Sep 2024 ParaPride is very grateful to be the beneficiary of Stonewall Spirits incredible ‘Drink & Donate’ pledge, where £1 from every Stonewall Spirits bottle & gift pack sale over this period will be donated to support’s ParaPride’s work.
Stonewall Spirits is a spirits brand that stands apart because their commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community extends beyond token representation during Pride month. They prioritise year-round advocacy, promotion and donations to LGBTQ+ charities (having raised around £10,000 so far).
The brand retells the important story of the ‘1969 Stonewall Riots’ and remembers the people who helped create the freedoms for future LGBTQ+ generations.
As an extra special treat, Stonewall Spirits are offering a 10% discount on all orders over this time. Use the code Parapride10 at the checkout at https://www.spiritofstonewall.com/ to access.