For Pride Month 2024, we spoke with IGLYO, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Youth and Student Organisation. This influential advocacy group is dedicated to supporting and empowering LGBTQI youth across Europe and beyond.
In this interview, we explore together the unique challenges faced by young people at the intersection of disability and LGBTQI identities, highlighting IGLYO’s crucial work and strategies for fostering inclusive, equitable environments.
We sincerely thank IGLYO for taking the time to collaborate with us and for their dedication in supporting LGBTQI youth with disabilities.
Question 1: What perspectives and contributions do young advocates with disabilities bring to the broader LGBTIQ+ rights movement, and how do these enhance the overall advocacy efforts?
Those of us who are young advocates with disabilities bring invaluable lived experiences to the broader LGBTQI rights movement. The perspectives, insights and contributions of young LGBTQI people with disabilities enrich the understanding of all LGBTQI communities, guiding our philosophy, strategy, and positions on key matters.
- Intersectionality: Young advocates with disabilities highlight the importance of intersectionality within the LGBTQI community, by bringing attention to the overlapping identities and the compounded discrimination faced by individuals who are both disabled and LGBTQI. This translates into a better understanding of LGBTQI equality in contexts tackling accessibility issues and a better understanding of the rights of people with disabilities in LGBTQI spaces. Young advocates with disabilities often work on the intersection of the disability rights movement and the LGBTIQ rights movement, fostering collaboration and solidarity among both of them.
- Norm-criticism approach: Young advocates with disabilities challenge prevailing stereotypes and norms about both disability and LGBTQI identities, fostering a more inclusive and accepting culture and helping build societies that understand and cherish differences among each other. Better representation of young LGBTQI people with disabilities helps break down harmful stereotypes and social norms that are unrealistic and non-representative of everyone.
- Promotion of better health systems: Young LGBTQI people with disabilities face additional barriers and discrimination when accessing health services. The particular challenges faced by young LGBTQI people with disabilities bring light to the need to work for better and stronger health systems that understand the experiences of everyone. Working through this perspective will inevitably push for a more holistic approach to well-being within LGBTQI communities, addressing both physical and mental health needs.
Question 2: Can you discuss specific instances or patterns of discrimination that LGBTIQ+ young people with disabilities commonly encounter?
As seen in the FRA LGBTI Survey, young people are experiencing higher rates of discrimination, harassment and violence, as well as LGBTQI people with disabilities. Young intersex people, trans women and non-binary people with disabilities experience particularly high rates of harassment, including offensive comments in person and online, and are also more likely to be exposed to physical and sexual attacks.
Young LGBTQI people with disabilities face dual discrimination and unique challenges. Within LGBTQI communities, there is often a lack of awareness and sensitivity to the needs of people with disabilities. Many LGBTQI spaces are inaccessible to people with disabilities, lacking facilities for people with mobility impairments or physical disabilities, not adjusting spaces and content for people with visual disabilities, or lacking tools for people with hearing disabilities or interpretation for people who speak sign language. This is also the case for LGBTQI people with learning disabilities or neurodivergent LGBTQI people —in many cases, spaces and content are not designed in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities.
Conversely, LGBTQI youth may still face discrimination and harassment in spaces of people with disabilities, like in any other space. Sadly, LGBTQI youth face discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in many areas of life — also in spaces of people living with disabilities. An atmosphere of intolerance and judgement makes it challenging for young people to come out and seek support, leading some to hide who they are to avoid further marginalisation.
Recognising these disparities is crucial in addressing the challenges faced by young LGBTQI people. A holistic approach that considers the intersectionality of their identities is needed to fully understand their experiences and overcome the resulting obstacles.
Question 3: What recommendations should the EU consider to better protect and promote the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons with disabilities?
We advocate for the integration of disability rights and accessibility into all EU policies concerning LGBTQI protection and equality, as well as national LGBTQI action plans. Similarly, disability action plans should encompass the needs of LGBTQI young people with disabilities.
Moreover, youth and children action plans at both EU and national levels should address the specific requirements and needs of young LGBTQI individuals with disabilities.
Failing to acknowledge this intersectionality and address the needs of this population would constitute a significant oversight in policymaking, potentially rendering young LGBTQI people with disabilities invisible and disregarded within broader policy frameworks.
Question 4: What are IGLYO’s upcoming projects specifically aimed at advocating LGBTIQ+ persons with disabilities?
At IGLYO, we’re dedicated to ensuring the active participation of those among us who have disabilities across our work. This entails actively collaborating with various organisations and networks working on the rights of people with disabilities and advocating for the needs of young people with disabilities on both national and European platforms. For example, when advocating for the rights of LGBTQI young people in educational settings, we acknowledge the intersectionality of disability rights, understanding that many LGBTQI learners also are also learners with disabilities. As a result, in our advocacy meetings and consultations, we emphasise the importance of creating accessible schools and tools of support, response, and protection.
This year, as part of our grants programme, we have dedicated one of our funding streams to disability justice. As a result, one of our member organisations is receiving a grant to develop accessibility guidelines through a participatory process involving both beneficiaries and organisations working specifically on disability rights, and to improve the accessibility of their events and activities for disabled LGBTQI youth, with a focus on autistic and d/Deaf communities, as well as on the physical accessibility of spaces. Additionally, the project aims to foster a deeper understanding among trans and queer youth of the intersecting challenges faced by young people with disabilities.
Internally, we are committed to fostering inclusive spaces for LGBTQI youth with disabilities. We make concerted efforts to ensure that our events and conferences are accessible to everyone. For instance, for our own General Assembly, we have a dedicated working group to check that all our venues and materials are all accessible to all registered participants. We firmly believe that the involvement of young activists with disabilities enriches our discussions and policies, resulting in more comprehensive and sensitive approaches to addressing the diverse needs of our communities.
In our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility, we are increasing our resources dedicated to prioritising inclusivity in our events and conferences. This means that each IGLYO event has a ring-fenced budget to be spent exclusively on accessibility measures, depending on the needs of the group of participants. Furthermore, we actively seek feedback on accessibility requirements from young people with disabilities who took part in our activities. Our goal is to ensure that no young LGBTQI person is left behind.
About IGLYO
Founded in 1984 and based in Brussels, IGLYO is the largest member-based network in the world dedicated to LGBTQI youth and their rights.