This Pride Month, the Evenbreak team and ambassadors delved into the concept of intersectionality, exploring how their disabilities intersect with other facets of their identities.
Remembering Stonewall
Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal event in LGBTIQA+ history. The Stonewall Inn in New York City was raided by police, sparking three nights of unrest as LGBTIQA+ individuals, long frustrated by police brutality, fought back. Key figures in this resistance included lesbians and trans women of colour like Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson. Their courage and defiance marked a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. (1)
Understanding Intersectionality
The term “intersectionality” was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Black American feminist activist and academic. Crenshaw used the term to describe how interlocking forms of oppression—particularly along lines of race and gender—affect individuals’ lives. Her goal was to highlight the need for legal frameworks that address the complex, multifaceted nature of discrimination. “Crenshaw, a lawyer, created the term because she wanted to explain why black women could not access legal remedies for discrimination they faced. Crenshaw had observed that black women were being forced to “pick” a discrimination (racism, or sexism, but not both) when bringing a workplace discrimination complaint”. Sarah Chander, Galdem. (2)
In a 2020 interview, Crenshaw clarified the essence of intersectionality now: “It’s not identity politics on steroids. It is not a mechanism to turn white men into the new pariahs. It’s basically a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.” (3)
The Diverse Experiences of Disabled People
Intersectionality reminds us to consider how multiple characteristics and societal factors intersect, compounding discrimination. People’s identities, relationships, and social factors shape their experiences, and these identity markers—such as disability and LGBTQIA+ status—do not exist independently. They combine to create complex forms of privilege and oppression, influenced by existing power structures like racism, patriarchy, ableism, colonialism, imperialism, homophobia, and transphobia. (4)
People with disabilities are not a homogenous group. In the UK, one in four individuals has a disability, and each person’s experience is shaped by various identity factors, including race, gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location, HIV status, language, migrant status, religion, and sexual orientation.
About Evenbreak
Evenbreak is the only global disability job board run by and for disabled people. Founded by Jane Hatton in 2011, Evenbreak works to close the disability employment gap by connecting talented disabled candidates with inclusive employers. Disabled people face multiple barriers to entering, thriving, and progressing in the workplace. This can include not knowing which employers genuinely welcome and support disabled candidates, to recruitment processes full of inaccessible barriers. At Evenbreak, we all have lived experience of disability, as well as various other intersecting identities. Find out more about Evenbreak.
Evenbreak Team and Ambassadors
Dr Shani Dhanda, one of our ambassadors, has consistently reflected on the importance of intersectionality in the disabled community. “As a South Asian woman who experiences disability, intersectionality has always played a big part in my life. I experience the world through all of those lenses and sometimes I don’t know if I’m being judged on my gender, race or disability. Any approach to inclusion must be intersectional. I don’t just fit into one box, I straddle many boxes – as do all of us.” (5)
Penelope Marktscheffel, another Evenbreak ambassador, comments. “As a white, disabled queer woman, intersectionality means that my experiences, and privilege, is relative. Each day, depending on the social situations I find myself in, the way I behave and think changes. Whilst it is true that parts of my identity often mean I am the target of less than stellar behaviour, I have a duty to use the white privilege I have to uplift voices belonging to people of colour. Anybody befitting from a privilege that any oppressed community does not have, has a duty to listen, learn, and use it helpfully. Nobody is free until we all are.”
More LGBTQIA+ Representation in the Disabled Community
Interestingly, there is a higher prevalence of disability for LGBTQI+ individuals than non- LGBTQI+ individuals. A 2020 US study of disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity showed that overall, one in three (36%) LGBTQ+ adults self-reported having a disability, compared with one in four (24%) non-LGBTQ+ (cisgender and heterosexual) adults. For trans individuals specifically, this number was even higher, with over half (52%) transgender adults reporting having a disability. (6)
Jamie Shields, Evenbreak’s ambassador: “The intersect of Disability and Sexuality has often left me feeling like I need to come out twice. People will say oh, but you didn’t need to come out at all, and I think, if I didn’t come out as Disabled, I wouldn’t get the support I need. And if I didn’t come out as gay, people would continue to ask me about my wife. That’s not inclusion, that’s dissolution to think I shouldn’t bring my whole self to something.”
Jane Hatton, CEO of Evenbreak, shares her perspective: “Like everyone, I have a number of identities, and the one I feel most will depend on the situation. Sometimes it’s being disabled, sometimes it’s being white, sometimes it’s being a woman, sometimes it’s being over 60, sometimes it’s being bisexual, often it’s just being Granny!”
As we celebrate Pride, it’s essential to recognise the past and the diverse experiences of different identities. Intersectionality provides a framework to understand and address the multifaceted nature of discrimination. In the words of the great Audre Lorde, “Without community, there is no liberation.” By embracing this approach, we can work towards a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Annie Hyde, Senior Marketing Coordinator
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