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December 3 marks the International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD), held annually by the United Nations to raise understanding and acceptance of people with a disability.
More than 1 in 5 Australians- approximately 5.5 million people- identify as having a disability, and there is a significant overlap with the queer community.
Star Observer spoke with Hayden Moon, an IDPwD Ambassador for 2024. Hayden is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+, Disabled and First Nations communities, a dancer, writer and performer, and a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney in the Theatre and Performance Studies department.
“I love that it makes me who I am. I wouldn’t be the fabulous human that I am without my disabilities or without my queerness and transness. These parts of my identity are what come together to make me Hayden, and I’m so grateful for it.”
“My blindness led me to discover my love of dance and music … and it’s now my main passion! My autism allows me to see the world in a way that others can’t – it means that I can challenge social rules because I don’t understand them anyway.”
This self love and acceptance has been a journey though, and it comes with internal and external expectations.
“I’ve had times in the past where I was ashamed of my autism, upset about my blindness and when I didn’t want to be trans and queer,” said Hayden. “But I’ve realised now that those negative feelings were coming from not being surrounded by the right people.”
“There’s a lot of hate out there…. dealing with those prejudices and oppression toward both of those identities can be really devastating and exhausting.”
It can be more than exhausting. The compounding marginalisation of disability and queerness puts disabled queer people at a higher risk of mental health issues. A 2022 Australian study reported that 15% of LGBTQIA+ young people with a disability had attempted to take their own life in the previous 12 months, and nearly 40% had done so at some point in their life.
We have more in common with each other than we think. In 2020, the Human Rights Commission studied a survey of adults across the United States and found that LGBTQIA+ adults, particularly transgender adults, were significantly more likely than non-LGBTQIA+ adults to self-report having at least one disability.
“Often there’s a separation between the disabled and LGBTQIA+ communities,” said Hayden. “A lot of Queer events aren’t accessible to people with a range of disabilities and that often means that disabled queers are left out of these opportunities to connect.
“I truly wish that queer events were more accessible. There are so many events that I really struggle to engage appropriately in because they’re just not designed for someone with low vision. I’m lucky that I have some wonderful friends who help me navigate and will give me image descriptions of performances – but not everyone has that, and there would be many disabled queer people who want to come to these events to make friends and find community, but they can’t even get into the door.”
When Hayden’s asked about which accessibility requirements they wished were in place, he’s quick to respond.
“I would just really like to see queer events be wheelchair accessible, [have] Auslan interpreters, quiet spaces and even just have a section on the ticketing website that asks about access needs. It doesn’t take a lot and it will make such a difference to our community.”
“We don’t bite!” They said. “We’re out here, we’re fabulous and we want to be included in queer events – we just need our access needs met. Disabled queers are hot babes!”
December 3 marks the International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD), held annually by the United Nations to raise understanding and acceptance of people with a disability.
More than 1 in 5 Australians- approximately 5.5 million people- identify as having a disability, and there is a significant overlap with the queer community.
Star Observer spoke with Hayden Moon, an IDPwD Ambassador for 2024. Hayden is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+, Disabled and First Nations communities, a dancer, writer and performer, and a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney in the Theatre and Performance Studies department.
Hayden Moon: Disabled, queer and proud
Hayden is proudly disabled and queer, and says that they wouldn’t change anything- these facets of his life inform his identity and bring him joy.“I love that it makes me who I am. I wouldn’t be the fabulous human that I am without my disabilities or without my queerness and transness. These parts of my identity are what come together to make me Hayden, and I’m so grateful for it.”
“My blindness led me to discover my love of dance and music … and it’s now my main passion! My autism allows me to see the world in a way that others can’t – it means that I can challenge social rules because I don’t understand them anyway.”
This self love and acceptance has been a journey though, and it comes with internal and external expectations.
“I’ve had times in the past where I was ashamed of my autism, upset about my blindness and when I didn’t want to be trans and queer,” said Hayden. “But I’ve realised now that those negative feelings were coming from not being surrounded by the right people.”
The intersection of disability and queerness can be ‘exhausting’
Queer disabled people are also more likely to face verbal, physical and sexual harassment or abuse, which Hayden has unfortunately experienced.“There’s a lot of hate out there…. dealing with those prejudices and oppression toward both of those identities can be really devastating and exhausting.”
It can be more than exhausting. The compounding marginalisation of disability and queerness puts disabled queer people at a higher risk of mental health issues. A 2022 Australian study reported that 15% of LGBTQIA+ young people with a disability had attempted to take their own life in the previous 12 months, and nearly 40% had done so at some point in their life.
We have more in common with each other than we think. In 2020, the Human Rights Commission studied a survey of adults across the United States and found that LGBTQIA+ adults, particularly transgender adults, were significantly more likely than non-LGBTQIA+ adults to self-report having at least one disability.
Hayden Moon on the LGBTQIA+ and disability communities coming together to support each other
However, this doesn’t mean that the communities live and work together harmoniously, and many disabled people struggle to be part of the Queer community.“Often there’s a separation between the disabled and LGBTQIA+ communities,” said Hayden. “A lot of Queer events aren’t accessible to people with a range of disabilities and that often means that disabled queers are left out of these opportunities to connect.
“I truly wish that queer events were more accessible. There are so many events that I really struggle to engage appropriately in because they’re just not designed for someone with low vision. I’m lucky that I have some wonderful friends who help me navigate and will give me image descriptions of performances – but not everyone has that, and there would be many disabled queer people who want to come to these events to make friends and find community, but they can’t even get into the door.”
When Hayden’s asked about which accessibility requirements they wished were in place, he’s quick to respond.
“I would just really like to see queer events be wheelchair accessible, [have] Auslan interpreters, quiet spaces and even just have a section on the ticketing website that asks about access needs. It doesn’t take a lot and it will make such a difference to our community.”
An IDPWD message from Hayden Moon: ‘Disabled queers are hot babes!’
For this International Day of People With Disability, Hayden encourages people to engage with disabled people both online and in real life, and to be open to learning.“We don’t bite!” They said. “We’re out here, we’re fabulous and we want to be included in queer events – we just need our access needs met. Disabled queers are hot babes!”
