National Black Justice Coalition Commemorates International Day of Persons with Disabilities
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the National Black Justice Coalition commemorates International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
“As a Black lesbian, non-binary femme living with invisible disabilities, I never know if the barriers or hurdles I have to manage each day are a result of prejudice and bias towards me due to race, sex, sexual orientation, or disability. I certainly never know which box to check when filing a formal complaint. Too often, Black LGBTQ+/SGL people living with disabilities are forced to pick one part of their identity, experiencing discrimination when seeking justice or accountability in the workplace, housing, education, banking, public accommodations, and more,” explained Victoria Kirby York, deputy executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “The Equality Act findings would help eliminate the barrier to equality by permitting people experiencing discrimination to file claims at the intersections of our identities. The Biden-Harris administration has made this easier, but it only remains as long as he is president. We need a permanent solution because liberty and justice for all can’t wait any longer. We need the U.S. Senate to act on the Equality Act TODAY.”
According Center for American Progress’ (CAP) latest report on Disability and LGBTQI+ identities individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely than their non-LGBTQI+ peers to have a disability.13 Disabled LGBTQI+ people face additional and intersecting challenges driven by discrimination and stigma. Nationally representative 2020 CAP survey data found that 45 percent of LGBTQI+ adults who reported some form of a disability experienced discrimination in the year prior to the survey. This included 54 percent of disabled LGBTQI+ adults of color, compared with 33 percent of LGBTQI+ adults of any race or ethnicity not reporting a disability.
