ParaPride

Who we are

Our Objectives

ParaPride is an empowerment charity that advocates for the visibility, education and awareness of LGBTQ+ disabled people. We are a non-profit grassroots organisation focusing on the intersection of disability and LGBTQ+. We're entirely run by volunteers and our lived experiences stand at the core of our charity values.

ParaPride started on the basis of a need to address the lack of inclusion for disabled people within the LGBTQ+ community; a need for more accessible LGBTQ+ spaces; and a need to promote body positivity around different bodies and being able to celebrate that. Given the high percentage of LGBTQ+ people that identify as having a disability, long term illness, and/or caring responsibilities, there is a stark lack of visibility and education that surrounds people who sit in the cross-section of these intersectional communities.

ParaPride also wants to challenge the misrepresentation of the disabled people often portrayed as the vulnerable community in need of special care. We are much more than that. We do not want to be defined by our disabilities. We are only disabled by the barriers presented by society.

Our Activities

We endeavor to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities through a variety of complementary activities including:

• Creating education and awareness around the need for greater visibility of the communities we serve within the wider LGBTQ+ and disabled communities;
• Creating and promoting online and offline activities and events to foster understanding of the experience of being LGBTQ+ and disabled people and to bring the communities we serve together;
• Working with other organisations to further educate and expose the wider public to the challenges faced by the communities we serve and opportunities that are presented when including them; and,
• Commissioning or conducting research to substantiate the prioritisation of issues impacting the communities we serve.