I am a member of a very small minority group, mch smaller then the LGBTQ+ community. I've been subjected to hardship all my life. I am being talked down to, patronised, and sometimes even manhandled, on a more or less daily basis. And I have never considered suicide because of that. If what you are saying is true, I take it as proof that mental illness seems to be high amongst the group you are mentioning. I lack empathy for such a victim mentality. In other, more concrete words: If there were a way to switch places, I'd take being a LGTBQ+ member over being 100% blind every day. Maybe something to reflect for you. The LGBTQ+ community has been to fucking loud in recent years that they seem to have totally forgotten that there are groups below them in the privilege pyramid. Those of us below them are listening in bewilderment.
Your lack of identifying with a “victim mentality” might also have something to do with the fact that blindness and its associated challenges have a lot more to do with the fact that you cannot see, due to whatever part of your vision failed to develop, and is not an active, maintained bigotry on the part of larger society. That’s not to say society can’t be an asshole to you too: I’m familiar with the challenges around visual accessibility and of course, as any differently-abled individual will corroborate, the only way you will get any assistance is with the forceful application of the state because otherwise no one will bother.
That being said, this is a classic example of crab bucketing. I am by no means saying that queer folks have it the worst everywhere: I’m saying that we have it bad, and we are frequently a bogeyman for the reactionary political project that’s the topic of this thread. And like, blindness certainly is a thing to contend with, but at least you don’t have a large segment of reactionary media saying that by virtue of being blind, you’re a child molester?
loading story #42074092