In Our Words
Explore the many lived experiences of Disabled people identifying as LGBTQIA+
About The Book
Endorsement
Table of Contents
About The Author
"In Our Words is a book I wish had been available when I was a teenager, grappling with issues of sexuality and disability." – Dr Alastair McEwin AM, Former Commissioner, Disability Royal Commission; Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner
What can we learn from the lived experiences of Disabled people identifying as LGBTQIA+?
Through a series of personal reflections, In Our Words follows the difficult journeys of a number of Queer and Disabled authors from coming out to arriving at a place of positive identity.
This empowering collection discusses the discrimination and hatred faced by the Queer and Disabled community, and shares how these barriers can be overcome to arrive at a place of self-acceptance and love. Through examples, this book aims to promote a sense of unity and pride.
Through tales of self-reflection, insight, and discovery, this book is ideal reading for students of Disability Studies, LGBTQIA+ Studies, Social Work, and Gender Studies as well as Queer Disabled folk.
"In Our Words is a book I wish had been available when I was a teenager, grappling with issues of sexuality and disability." – Dr Alastair McEwin AM, Former Commissioner, Disability Royal Commission; Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner
What can we learn from the lived experiences of Disabled people identifying as LGBTQIA+?
Through a series of personal reflections, In Our Words follows the difficult journeys of a number of Queer and Disabled authors from coming out to arriving at a place of positive identity.
This empowering collection discusses the discrimination and hatred faced by the Queer and Disabled community, and shares how these barriers can be overcome to arrive at a place of self-acceptance and love. Through examples, this book aims to promote a sense of unity and pride.
Through tales of self-reflection, insight, and discovery, this book is ideal reading for students of Disability Studies, LGBTQIA+ Studies, Social Work, and Gender Studies as well as Queer Disabled folk.
In Our Words is a book I wish had been available when I was a teenager, grappling with issues of sexuality and disability. Like many of the contributors to this book, I experienced feelings of confusion and a lack of pride and confidence in myself and my place in the world.
Through story-telling and the sharing of experiences, at times searingly raw, this book draws on rich diversity and intersectionality to present a clear message: it is okay to be queer and disabled.
I commend Wayne and Yenn for putting together a wonderful compilation of queer and disabled life stories. This is a book that will be an invaluable addition to queer and disabled literature.
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Content warning
- Foreword
- Introducing the editors
- Learning objectives
- 1 Introduction
- Some words about words
- Disability and identity
- Social and medical models of disability
- Disability discrimination
- Inspiration porn, micro-aggressions, and other issues
- LGBTQIA+ identity
- Intersection of LGBTQIA+ and disabled identity
- Coming out
- Representation
- Allies
- About privilege
- 2 Wayne Herbert
- Welcome to my world
- Wayne’s story
- Welcome to my world
- 3 Dr Wesley Lim
- Recalibrating the senses towards disabled movement
- 4 Kelly Vincent
- Kelly’s story – Dear younger Kelly…
- 5 Zoe Simmons
- Zoe’s story – Dear teenage Zoe
- 6 Dr Wenn Lawson
- Wenn’s story – A letter to my teenage self
- Becoming a teenager, or early adolescence
- The letter
- Wenn’s story – A letter to my teenage self
- 7 Empress Eyrie
- Empress’ story – Dear younger self
- 8 Emma Goodall
- Emma’s story
- 9 Freya Pinney
- Freya’s story – Hidden in plain sight
- Self-monitoring, hypervigilant, not trusting, and self-sacrificing
- Words for my younger self…
- Sexuality is different to sexual preference
- You can be friends with classmates or workmates but you have to make friends with them; it is not implied by the time you spend in the same place, and there is no formula for making friends.
- It is OK to let someone know you find them attractive or like them, even if they aren’t interested in you. You won’t suffer any consequences.
- Not everyone else is being honest about everything
- Spending money on yourself is not wasting money
- Not everyone will like you. Just like you don’t actually like everyone else.
- There is no innate, right way to be
- 10 Ainslee Hooper
- Ainslee’s story – From you to me and me to you
- 11 Jack Brady
- Jack’s story
- 12 Kat Reed
- Kat’s story
- 13 Margherita Coppolino
- Margherita’s story – The little book of life
- Introduction
- Early days
- Life in institutional care
- Discovering my family
- Adulthood: Employment
- Advocacy
- Activities and interests
- Discovering my culture
- Creating my identity
- Coming out
- Margherita’s story – The little book of life
- 14 Yenn Purkis
- Yenn’s story
- Reflections of Yenn at 15
- Socialists and the road to a desperate life
- Crime, drugs, and alcohol
- Mental illness
- Journey to success
- Unlikely and an anomaly
- Gender expression
- An advocate
- Identity – Autistic pride, queer pride
- One last thing
- Yenn’s story
- 15 Summary
- Notes
- Suggested discussion topics
- References
- Recommended further reading
- Index
Wayne Herbert is an international speaker, MC, comedian, and writer. He serves on the board of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and is the former Vice President of Meridian, a Canberra community-controlled organisation working to prevent and ameliorate HIV. Wayne was nominated as the 2018 Australian Capital Territory Australian of the year for services to the LGBTQIA+ and Disability communities.
Yenn Purkis (they/them) is an author, public servant, and advocate for Autistic people and their families. Living with diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, and atypical schizophrenia, Yenn is a frequent speaker on the topics of neurodiversity, mental health, gender, and employment, and facilitates a support group for Autistic women and non-binary people.
