In the second half to the 20th century, disabled people emerged from centuries of isolation and incarceration and took to the streets and the ballot boxes to assert their rights. Overlooked in the historical accounts is the important contributions of disabled queers who were instrumental to the successes.
Corbett provides first-hand accounts of pivotal moments. Why did the disability rights movement reject the people newly diagnosed with AIDS? Why were the hemophiliacs ignored by both the AIDS communities and the disability rights movements? How does homophobia play out in disability communities? How does ableism play out in queer communities?
Using the 2002 International Queer Disability Conference in San Francisco as a touchstone, Corbett frames the stories of queer disabled lives within both disability and queer communities. She pinpoints pivotal moments of exclusion, offers insider contexts, and frames the challenges facing us today.
Her talks are engaging, witty, informative and challenging. Her depth of queer disability knowledge is unparalleled.