Disability Pride Month: Representation, Rights, and Sexual Wellness for Disabled People

When President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Since then, the disability pride movement has been codified by the first Disability Pride Day, held in Boston that same year, and the first Disability Pride Parade, held in Chicago in 2004.

How Attitudes Toward Disability Have Shifted

This progress remains a far cry from past attitudes toward disability representation. Mobility issues were treated as burdensome and in need of social welfare, while those with learning disabilities were labeled and dismissed. Like Native peoples and LGBTQIA+ individuals at the same time, people with disabilities were considered a lesser class - expected to assimilate or stay hidden.

This Year's Disability Pride Theme: "We Belong Here, and We're Here to Stay"

This year's Disability Pride theme is a powerful declaration of the importance and necessity of representation on the public stage. As ADA compliance becomes less of a priority amid slashed budgets for social programs across the country, it's more important than ever to recognize the impact that people with disabilities make on our communities.

Disabled People Are Everywhere - and Essential

The IT person at your company may have a learning disability they've worked through to become a valued member of your organization. The call center employee who patiently heard and addressed your complaints may have had mobility issues you weren't aware of. People with disabilities keep this economy flourishing - and their productivity is only a fraction of who they are.

Representation shouldn't be relegated to privileged parking spaces or accessible PDF formatting. This is an opportunity for people with disabilities to show that their personalities aren't defined solely by their differences, because our similarities reveal more about our shared humanity than any legislation or theme ever could.

Disability Pride, Sexual Wellness, and Why It Matters

At Age of Sexploration, we're doing our part to honor Disability Pride Month by doing what we do best: talking about sexual wellness for people with disabilities and highlighting sex-positive creators with disabilities who are helping others discover how they find pleasure.

This matters to us because, and this won't be the last time we say it this month, disabled people f*ck.

What's Coming This July

Look forward to Disability Pride content all month long, covering disability representation, pleasure education, and spotlights on sex-positive disabled creators. Sign up for the AOS newsletter to stay informed and never miss a post.