A Night of Queer Disabled Joy — And the Work Ahead
Disabled drag performer Ricky Rosé brings the heat at Disability Culture Lab Presents…Disability Culture Cabaret: Pride Edition 2025.
On Wednesday evening, Washington D.C.’s Hook Hall was alight with full-bodied laughter, twinkling costumes, and handmade mask chains. Over the course of the night, we had eight artists, three community readers, and representatives from our co-hosts, Crushing Colonialism and New Disabled South, take the stage to celebrate queer disabled life!
It was incredible to see so many of our beloved community members for a night celebrating our joy, creativity, and resistance.
But the night was only great because of community support—because of your commitment to our vision of radical reclamation and joy. We are also deeply grateful to our co-hosts, sponsors, access workers, production team, volunteers, and everyone else who came together to make the night wonderful. We could not do this work without you, and we are thankful to have you by our side.
Here’s to next time, but for now: rest up!
What We’re Reading This Week
Labor Department Moves to End Disability Hiring Goal for Federal Contractors
by Julia Métraux
The beginning of July brought Lori Chavez-DeRemer of the Labor Department’s announcement that there would be an attempt to repeal an Obama-era legislative ruling that ensured organizations who work with the federal government would have to hire 7% disabled staff. In place since 2014, these are the first counter-efforts the law has seen in its relatively short history. Anupa Iyer Geevarghese, a former deputy director of policy in the Labor Department, noted that “the contractor community wasn’t coming out there and opposing [Section] 503,” reflecting the reality that this is all the work of the Trump administration’s campaign against disabled communities. (H/T Mother Jones)
Deaf, Mute and Terrified: ICE Arrests DACA Recipient and Ships Him to Texas
by Brittny Mejia
This urgent piece reflects the reality of the ICE arrests sweeping the United States, and the additional danger this poses to disabled immigrants. The article follows Javier Diaz, a DACA recipient who was detained by ICE agents and “sent to an immigration detention center in El Paso, where he spent weeks unable to communicate with his attorney or his family.” He has since been released, but his story reflects a gap in many current discussions on the rise in deportations: the unique and confounding experience of having a disability-related language barrier amidst the dehumanizing conditions of detention and a legal system that rarely accounts for access needs. (H/T Los Angeles Times)
35 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act—Celebrating the Success and Concern
by Emily Chen-Newton
In this piece for All Things Considered, Chen-Newton shines a spotlight on one of the celebrations of disabled joy that occurred this month. In Ohio, a rollerskating rink opened its doors for a night of rolling, not skating. Attendee Michael Denlinger spoke about the feeling of being able to take up space on the rink: “I had the speed turned up literally as high as it would go. I went all the way to one end, and I just came speeding towards the other direction and kind of just sort of, let my hair down as they say." (H/T NPR)
Joy in Hard Times: Celebrating Disability Pride During a Crisis
by Julia Métraux
Amidst a very difficult Disability Pride Month, Métraux decided to interview three disabled professionals on what disabled pride means to them. AJ Link, policy director for New Disabled South, said of his longtime love for space and imagining different worlds: “Hope is there because the systems aren’t as entrenched…there’s still hope that we can change the future.” (H/T Mother Jones)
Plug In, Take Action, Be In Community
Patty Berne Celebration of Life
Sins Invalid is hosting a hybrid celebration of life for those grieving after the passage of Patty Berne. The service will take place via livestream and in person at The East Bay Church of Religious Science in Oakland on Saturday, August 9. The venue is wheelchair accessible, and masks will be required and provided.
Saturday, August 9, 2025
3 p.m. – 6 p.m. PT | Hybrid | ASL + Spanish Interpretation and Captioning
Justice for India: Protect the Dolls
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative created a GoFundMe to support a young Black trans woman named India living in Florida following a transphobic attack. The group seeks to raise $5,000 for India.
Petition to Defend Protection and Advocacy Systems
A new proposal to cut funding for Protection and Advocacy agencies would have devastating effects on disabled communities’ ability to access accommodations and other supports. The form linked below makes it easy for community members to email Congress to push back against these proposed budget cuts.
Have news, tips, joy, or actions to share? Drop us a line at Hello@DisabilityCultureLab.org. We’d love to hear from you!
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