Abstract
This paper uses the experiences of disabled lesbians to explore the intersections between disability, race, and sexuality. In addition to looking at the connections in oppressions the paper celebrates the positive and joyful sexuality of disabled lesbians. While identity formation and management remains challenging, the barriers are being dealt with as disabled lesbians claim their wholeness. Visibility and invisibility in the disability and lesbian communities are discussed and critiques are aimed at the constructions of both lesbianism and disabled people.
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REFERENCES
This paper was originally a presentation representing a historical community perspective on the San Francisco Bay area disabled lesbian community. For the presentation I stated: "While the analysis of the results may be useful to academia, I am intentionally choosing to use community-based language. I do this for a number of reasons. First, it is the language of choice of the community women. Second, to ensure accessibility for both academics and nonacademics." Spontaneity and informality are incongruent with the style of this journal. I have prepared a more formalized version of the presentation and included broader geographical references keeping the quotations in their original form. Also, for purposes of clarity, the author used the shorthand of "disabled lesbian" while acknowledging that many women who sleep with women do not embrace that term.
O'Toole, C.J. and V. D'aoust: Fit for motherhood: Towards a recognition of multiplicity in disabled lesbian mothers. Disability Studies Quarterly, Spring 2000, Volume 20, No. 2.
Research involved a great many conversations both in person and on the Internet with lesbians with disabilities. Most are active in both disability and lesbian communities and are leaders of other disabled lesbians. For the purposes of this paper, I have assigned them pseudonyms. Also, to mask individual identities, I assigned different pseudonyms to the same woman for different conceptual quotes. All correspondence and conversations took place between January and June 2000.
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O'Toole, C.J. The View from Below: Developing a Knowledge Base About an Unknown Population. Sexuality and Disability 18, 207–224 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026421916410
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026421916410