June 11, 2021
“I have a complicated relationship with Pride Month, if I’m honest,” says queer disability advocate Andrew Gurza, who uses the pronouns they and he, and identifies as disabled. “I often feel excluded because of inaccessibility and the ableism that still exists in the queer community.”
Sometimes the need to advocate for himself overshadows everything else. “I wish I could be seen as a sexual partner or love interest, as well as a disability advocate.”
That’s exactly why his work is so important.
Andrew is a Disability Awareness Consultant. He gives talks on the lived experience of disability that help people think and learn in new, more nuanced ways.
“I like to give people lightbulb moments,” he says.
As a March of Dimes Canada client, Andrew is lending his expertise to our vaccine accessibility campaign.
“I’ve been very vocal about the experiences of disabled people during the pandemic, and how they’ve been largely ignored,” he says. “We deserve to be vaccinated in ways that are accessible to us, and to have priority access to vaccines. It’s critically important.”
Andrew also delivers workshops on disability and queerness that open up conversations you won’t find elsewhere.
“They’re raw, provocative and funny,” he says. “But most importantly, they’re an honest glimpse into my world.”
His award-nominated podcast,
Disability after Dark, aims to do the same thing, offering a space for listeners to discuss and learn about disability, queerness and sex.
“We’re so invisible,” Andrew says. “We’re inundated with images of the perfect queer body – muscular, white, able-bodied, cis-gendered. I like that, as a disabled queer man, I can present something different. It’s important.”
His parting thought: “Disabled queer people exist, they’re hot and they deserve to be seen.”
