Week 3 readings mainly discussed how queer people deal with the norms established by a society where the binary gender and nuclear family are praised. The standards of how a body must look and how sexuality must be expressed to be perceived as normal severely influence individuals with disabilities and LGBTQ+ representatives. Furthermore, ableism, exclusion, and violence towards the affected occurred because of society’s oppressive tendencies and lack of a universal environment that serves people with diverse impairments (Barnard Center for Research on Women, 2017). Lack of inclusive infrastructure in public places, biases about gender and sexuality, and attitudinal barriers, such as discrimination and inequality, make individuals who cannot fit the standards ‘inappropriate’ for social life.
Although I do not have personal interaction experience with individuals with disabilities, this week’s readings revealed how social norms affect their well-being. Emphasizing queer representatives’ distinction enables them to feel uncomfortable or develop psychical self-protection traits that make them unhappy (Clare, 2003) after reading the article where the stories of people who participated in freak shows and were humiliated because of their impairments, I understood how essential it is to develop equality and diversity in modern society. The ideas and worldviews of queer individuals enabled me to revise my perception of the norms of being a human and if there is a need to mark conditions as right or wrong.
Ableism in modern society severely affects how queer people perceive their impairments and deprives them of having a fulfilling life. The standards of how men and women should develop, look, behave, and interact resulted in serious institutional and attitudinal barriers for individuals who cannot fit the norms (Barnard Center for Research on Women, 2017). I want to learn more about what causes communities and nations to segregate people with impairments to understand what actions may be taken to enhance equality and accessibility in the future.
References
Barnard Center for Research on Women. (2017). My body doesn’t oppress me; society does [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Clare, E. (2003). Gawking, gaping, staring.GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 9(1), 257-261. Web.