Crip Kinship

Crip Kinship the Disability Justice and Art Activism of Sins Invalid, by Shayda Kafai, is another amazing book. The reason it's so important is that Kafai documents the history, creation, and legacy of this incredible performance group of queer, disabled people of color. We have the opportunity to learn the first hand stories of Disability Justice leaders such as Patricia Berne, Maria  Palacios, and Leah Piepzna Samarasinha. This beautiful writer gives us insight into how Patty Berne and co-founder Leroy Moore imagined a radically inclusive theater community at a cafe named La Pena in Berkeley, California. Knowing that this wonderful performance project started over one conversation gives me hope that any dream can be possible.

Happy pride

Happy 2023 pride month. I know it's been a long while since I've written anything on here, but get ready for a lot more content. Given that this is LGBTQ  pride month, I've decided to feature some of my favorite examples of LGBT representation in the media. Although the 2012 film,  Any Day Now, is  extremely sad and has no main cast members  of color, it has a very special place in my heart. This is because Performing Arts Studio West, a professional training program for actors with disabilities, directed by the kindest man I know, John Paizis, gave me the opportunity to be an extra in this movie. Being able to have a part in Any Day  Now was really meaningful because it tells an important story of the struggles that a gay couple go through trying to adopt a young man with Downs Syndrome. If you are in the mood for comedy though, check out Netflix's original series, Special. Starred in and written by Ryan O'connell, Special is about a young white guy who has Cerebral palsy, and is trying to figure out how to be more sexually active.

While these are decent examples of LGBT representation, I would now like to present even better ones. In the 2021 version of Cinderella, the ingenious Billy Porter redefined what it can mean  to be a fairy Godmother as a queer, Black, man. This is huge, because it shows the world that magic can come from people of all races and gender identities. Another fantastic show with excellent representation is The L Word Generation Q.  In this groundbreaking  series, beautiful Jillian Mercado, who is Latina, tries to face the challenges of having a baby with a trans man, while dealing with her Muscular Dystrophy. We need to celebrate this content that embraces queer characters of color during pride.

A fantastic book

One fantastic book I've read semi-recently is The Pretty One; On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me, by Keah Brown. Ms. Brown is a young, Black, activist/writer who has Cerebral Palsy. What I love about The Pretty One is that Keah Brown really focuses on telling the readers who she is as a whole person, instead of merely explaining the mechanics of her disability. For example, I know that she loves cheesecake, and her favorite band is Paramore. I also found out that she likes Tia and Tamera Mowry  more than Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, because she sees herself in the former. Keah Brown's book is a real life illustration of Patricia Berne's principle of Disability Justice, ''recognizing wholeness.''