Disability and LGBTQIA+ intersectionality: Why is this important?

hetalmurphy
5 days ago
5 min read

Introduction

Intersectionality is a term which was first used in the late 1980s to describe the study of the experiences of marginalisation faced by women of colour in different social and economic groups.¹ It is now used more broadly to explore the experiences of anybody who shares more than one characteristic that disadvantages them or makes them vulnerable in society.² This post is the first in a planned series that will explore the intersectionality between disability and the LGBTQIA+ community.

What does LGBTQIA+ mean?

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex and asexual and/or aromantic. The plus is added to show that the term welcomes other people, even if the way they define themselves does not fit one of the listed groups. The wellbeing charity Very Well Mind has good definitions of what these terms mean, and explains why they are important³. You can also watch this YouTube video from a US state news broadcaster where LGBTQIA+ individuals describe what the letters mean to them.⁴ For the purposes of these blog posts, we will use the word queer to represent all of the groups within the acronym. Although it can be controversial if used judgmentally, it is a less intimidating way of thinking about the LGBTQIA+ community.

What other characteristics do intersectional studies cover?

The main piece of equality legislation in the UK is the 2010 Equality Act. It protects people from harassment and discrimination based on nine protected characteristics.⁵ These are:

Age,
Disability,
Gender reassignment,
Marriage or civil partnership,
Pregnancy and maternity,
Race,
Religion or belief,
Sex,
Sexual orientation.

These characteristics represent the main criteria by which people are disadvantaged because of the way they are treated by society. As we have seen, intersectional studies arose because of the combined barriers faced by women of colour in the United States in the 1980s. The queer community is covered by the protected characteristics of gender reassignment, sexual orientation and – until very recently – sex. The barriers faced by disabled people can vary significantly based on our age.⁶ These examples of intersectional experiences demonstrate the complex relationships between different protected characteristics, and the potential for increased marginalisation based on these relationships.

We should also recognise that it is not only legally-defined protected characteristics that contribute to the way people are treated. Judgments over the size and shape of our bodies lead to assumptions being made about gender, as well as contributing to disabilities such as eating disorders. Expectations over the pitch and accent of our voices make a difference to our assumed gender, intelligence and trustworthiness. These examples show that all kinds of conscious and unconscious biases have an intersectional impact on the daily lives of queer, Disabled people.

How are gender identity, sexuality and disability linked?

As Disabled people, we frequently encounter situations where our lived experience is assumed to be the same. An example of this is the way businesses think they have met accessibility requirements just by providing level access to a building. Stereotypes like this ignore the diverse experiences of people with disabilities other than physical mobility issues. Alongside our disabilities, we have other differences that change the way people treat us in society. Women and men are often expected to look and behave in certain ways, for example, and older people are frequently treated differently to those of working age.

Disabled members of the queer community face the same kinds of intersectional discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Identifying and understanding these barriers and preconceptions better helps us to overcome them. A 2024 article analysing data from the 2021 Census shows that those with a variant sexual orientation are 47% more likely to have a disability than straight people; and that transgender people are 41% more likely to have a disability than those who identify with the sex they were assigned at birth.⁷ Given the long-recognised inequality that Disabled people encounter in education, employment, housing, income and social opportunities, it is easy to see from these statistics how the prevalence of disability among queer people increases the likelihood that they will experience these challenges.

The impact of marginalisation on the queer community can be seen by the incidence of mental health challenges that we face. A Stonewall study from 2018 found that:

52% of LGBTQIA+ people said they had experienced depression in the last year (rising to 62% of LGBTQIA+ people of colour);
Gay and bisexual men are four times more likely to attempt suicide at some point during their lives than the rest of the population;
And that 67% of trans people had experienced depression and 46% had thought of ending their life in the year before the study was published.⁸

These mental health challenges are compounded by the experiences of queer people in the community. Mental Health UK quotes studies showing that:

40% of LGBTQIA+ employees (55% of trans people when considered separately) experienced conflict in the workplace over a year, compared to 29% of heterosexual and cisgender employees;
19% of LGBTQIA+ employees had experienced verbal bullying and abuse from colleagues, customers and service users over a five year period;
More than half of queer people experience bullying in schools because of their gender identities or sexual orientation;
17% of gay and bisexual men, 30% of lesbians and 23% of bisexual women reported experiences of inappropriate curiosity from healthcare staff during a twelve month period.⁹

These studies show the stigma and marginalisation that queer people experience in our day to day lives, and the impact this has on our mental health and safety. The fact that Disabled People’s Organisations such as Equal Lives are necessary is testament to the fact that many heterosexual, cisgender disabled people have had similar experiences of invasive curiosity and judgmental behaviour which have affected their mental health.

Conclusion.

This post has given an overview of the origins and importance of the study of intersectional experiences of marginalised communities. It has shown the links between disability and queerness, and identified the types of challenges that this intersectionality is likely to present. It has highlighted the stigma that members of the queer community face in every day life, and how this impacts our mental health and safety. Future posts in this series will look at the experiences of specific groups within the disabled queer community, and will explore additional intersectional criteria such as parenthood and age.

Written by Natalie an Equal Lives Staff Member

References

Evenbreak Blog, Exploring Pride and Intersectionality in the Disabled LGBTQIA+ Community, [https://blog.evenbreak.co.uk/2024/06/26/exploring-pride-intersectionality-in-the-disabled-lgbtqia-community/], 2024, last accessed 02/07/2025.

Theofilos Kempapidis and others, Queer and Disabled: Exploring the Experiences of People Who Identify as LGBT and Live with Disabilities, [https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/4/1/4], 2023, last accessed 02/07/2025.

Very Well Mind, What does LGBTQIA+ Mean?, [https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-lgbtq-mean-5069804], last accessed 26/06/2025.

Cleveland.com, LGBTQIA+ Individuals Describe what the Letters Mean to Them, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtRdnBZI3_0], last accessed 26/06/2025.

Local Government Association, The Equality Act and Protected Characteristics, https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-workforce/equality-act-and, last accessed 03/07/2025.

House of Commons Library, UK Disability Statistics: Prevalence and Life Experiences, 2024, last accessed 03/07/2025.

Robert J. Romanelli, Regional and Local Inequalities in Disability Status by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: A Cross-Sectional Ecological Analysis of the 2021 Census of England and Wales, [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11060336/], 2024, last accessed 02/07/2025.

Stonewall Scotland, LGBT in Britain – Health (2018), 2018, [https://www.stonewall.org.uk/resources/lgbt-britain-health-2018], last accessed 24/07/2025.

Mental Health UK, LGBTQIA+ People’s Mental Health, [https://mentalhealth-uk.org/lgbtqia-mental-health/], last accessed 24/07/2025.