Originally posted at the Cerebral Palsy Guidance. Available at: https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy/living/lgbt/
Having cerebral palsy (CP) and being gay appears to be a double-edged sword for numerous people, especially children in school who deal with bullying on two different levels. Yet, in today’s society, where sexual orientation is more accepted than ever before, awareness should be encompassed and accepted, but is it?
Bullies Targeting LGBT Disabled Kids With Cerebral Palsy
According to the Anti-Bully Alliance, more than 65% of disabled LGBT children and teens have went through intense homophobic bullying, more so than non-disabled LGBT children and teens. According to the National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Lauren Seager-Smith,
We are very concerned by reports of dual discrimination, bullying and marginalisation experienced by disabled young people that identify as LGBT+. There are clear steps we can take to change the situation – we must listen to disabled young people in our schools and act on their recommendations, fight for statutory sex and relationships education that is inclusive of all young people, and make sure our anti-bullying initiatives do not exclude those children most at risk.”
However, fighting for the rights of LGBT disabled young people isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem. Executive Director of the National Children’s Bureau, Jonathan Charlesworth, said that more in-depth research needed into people who are gay and disabled. He indicated that the research should focus on a whole approach to school bullying, as well as prejudiced-based bullying.
“More research is needed which looks at the prejudice facing young people who fall into both of these minority groups.”
One of the biggest hurdles is that currently, despite all of society’s advances in becoming more open to LGBT communities, many schools still lack the resources and the confidence when dealing with homophobic bullying.
A 2014 report done by “Youth Change” indicates that over 60% of LGBT kids reported that there have been a number of times when they told their teachers about bullying issues, but nothing was done. The lack of action resulted in many students developing deep depression, and in some cases, self-harm.
Cerebral Palsy and LGBT Advocacy
Despite being bullied and taunted, some LGBT teens with cerebral palsy grew up to face the challenges head on, picking up pieces where teachers and schools failed.
For instance, 25-year-old Thomas Banks, from Australia, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler, but knew he was gay by the time he was 12. Throughout childhood, he was called names and teased mercilessly. Even today, he hears numerous myths that unaware people think about disabled people.
“Some of the misconceptions about people with disabilities are that some people think [cerebral palsy] is an intellectual disability but it’s not, said Banks. “ Some other people think I’m stupid, but I’m not. And people think people with disabilities are asexual.”
Instead of dwelling on the issue, Banks became a writer and advocate for being gay with a disability. He even created his own theatrical play, Someone like Thomas Banks, which explores how he uses the Internet to date and find love. He also raises community awareness through workshops, where he talks about communication difficulties that many people with cerebral palsy go through.
“A lot of my messages in my workshops are about taking time to listen, understand and interact with people who have disabilities, because it’s not that hard if you have time.
Another advocate turned his life into a book, which became the premise for an upcoming sitcom. Ryan O’Connell, 29, seemed the least likely create a book about his life, given no one outside of his close circle of friends knew he had cerebral palsy.
No one knew he was gay either, but he was tired of hiding his authentic self, and with creation of I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, he found a way to open up about being gay and living with cerebral palsy.
After Warner Bros. acquired the rights to his book and told him his life would be based on a new show, O’Connell was understandably excited. He hopes the show will bring awareness and help other gay, disabled people have an outlet to relate.
Any gay person — spoiler, all gay people — that have felt ‘other’ and not like they fit into the mold, this is the show for them. For me, putting a gay disabled character on TV is the number 1 most important thing. We could help so many people by doing this.”
How You Can Help
Stopbullying.gov, a non-profit site that provides valuable information from various government agencies, writes that young LGBT people with disabilities are at a heightened risk of being bullied and ridiculed. However, there are a number of things the community can do to help these children out, even if schools aren’t doing their part to create a safe environment.
- Keep communication open and try to be understanding with the issues they’re dealing with. Being disabled is difficult in itself, but kids going through harassment because of their sexual orientation is, as mentioned earlier, a double-edged sword. Parents, friends, and loved ones should show as much compassion as possible.
- If you’re child is being bullied and the school is not helping, contact the school board. If you’re still not getting results, consider filling out a harassment report with the Department of Education.
- Learn your state laws that take action when harassment on disabled LGBT children occurs.
- Always protect your child’s privacy or your child’s friends’ privacy.
- Help create alliances and clubs within the community for disabled, LGBT children, such as a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club.
- Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) official page on LGBT health.
- Monitor social media accounts, and be certain to rebort any abusive online behavior.
Additional Information to Consider
LGBT children with cerebral palsy or other disorders are at a heightened risk of depression and suicide. If you ever feel your child or anyone else feels suicidal, contact the following organizations for help:
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-TALK (8256) (24-hours)
- The Gay Lesbian Bi-Sexual & Transgender National Hotline: (888) THE-GLNA
- The Trevor Project: (866) 488-7386 (24-hours)