Things they don’t tell you about being a disability activist

[image error]Image: woman with red face and short dark curly hair, looking serious, wearing a green leaf print jacket over a pink, green, white, purple and yellow floral dress.

It’s Disability Pride month right now. To be honest, I’m not feeling it – I am feeling hurt and exhausted. I (and many others) have been the target of bullying within the disability community/sector for some time now.

For the most part, the bullying towards me has been covert, but in recent months – since I received a certain award – it’s amped up – naming me, sharing my photo, and responding nastily to things I’ve written. It’s all public. 

The bullying has had an impact on my work – I’ve experienced fear to write and speak; and also on my mental health – I’ve had panic attacks.

Speaking up has cost me greatly – people disbelieving me, telling me I’m paranoid,reporting my actions back to the bullies. If you support this bullying, we are not friends.

I’m not running any hate campaign. I am simply sharing my experience since 2017, to make it public and share the burden. And I am asking for it to stop. 

I hope to write something more prideful soon.