Abstract
Despite historical shifts toward inclusion for individuals with Disabilities, negative views and societal stigmas still persist, specifically regarding gender and sexuality. Concurrently, there has been an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) legislation, which poses a significant risk to the well-being and civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities. In this article, Nicole Adler, a self-advocate who identifies in the LGBTQ+ community, tells her coming-out story. She emphasizes the critical need to proactively support and advocate for the rights and well-being of sexual and gender minorities within the Disability community. Nicole emphasizes the significance of inclusive sex education and provides a call to action for educators to better support LGBTQ+ students with Disabilities. Nicole hopes to inspire and encourage others by sharing her thoughts on the importance of advocating for LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities through this article.
“. . . people with Disabilities who are Gay are often ignored, and these laws are making it even harder for them to be seen. . .”
Consider the following recent headlines: Indiana lawmakers file record number of anti-LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) bills, tripling previous years (Chapman, 2023); “These are human rights issues”: Pa. school board directors condemn Central Bucks for apparent anti-LGBTQ actions (Rizzo, 2023); Indiana “Don’t Say Gay” bill pivots to kids’ gender identity (Longnecker, 2023); Montana bill would let students misgender classmates (Hanson, 2023); Education Committee passes HB 1608 aimed at restricting LGBTQ topics in school (Howell, 2023); Nikki Haley says Ron DeSantis didn’t go “far enough” with Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill (Blanco, 2023); and Missouri proposal goes farther than “Don’t Say Gay” bill (Ballentine, 2023). There has been an overwhelming amount of news coverage on the legislative efforts aimed at marginalizing the LGBTQ+ community. This legislation creates an environment where LGBTQ+ youth face bullying, lack of affirmation, and risk potential outing by professionals. 1 We are in a time where LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly youth and young adults in school, are being targeted. Moreover, it is important to recognize that anti-LGBTQ+ bills directly impact individuals with Disabilities.
It is crucial to establish safe spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can freely explore and express their identities. Fostering these environments is extremely important for LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities, who, compared with their nondisabled peers, face additional barriers in navigating their sexual and gender identities (Bedard et al., 2010; Hanna & Stagg, 2016; Thompson et al., 2001; Winges-Yanez, 2013). In addition, a commonly excluded group of LGBTQ+ youth, individuals with Disabilities who have more extensive support needs deserve a secure and safe environment that promotes identity exploration. Although there has been progress in providing education and support for those with Disabilities who identify as LGBTQ+, there continue to be barriers, especially for those with more extensive support needs (Bedard et al., 2010; Hanna & Stagg, 2016; Thompson et al., 2001; Winges-Yanez, 2013). Therefore, by providing a space for LGBTQ+ individuals with extensive support needs to share their stories, education, awareness, and acceptance can continue to grow.
Nicole Adler is a self-advocate from California who identifies within the LGBTQ+ community. Nicole (second author) and Richard (first author) are close friends who had a conversation one day in which Nicole shared her coming-out story. During this conversation, she shared how there is a lack of representation of people like her in all forms of media, which could have helped during her coming-out journey. Therefore, she and Richard decided to share her story with others. Next, Nicoles’s story is shared in her own words, in which she talks about her coming out and, still to this day, gender and sexual expression. She ends with what she hopes for the future of LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities. 2
Nicoles’s Story
My name is Nicole Adler, and I am an equal rights advocate, a motivational speaker, and a member of the state council on developmental disabilities in California; I am Gay; and I have an extra chromosome. Sex education is part of life, part of our culture, and part of our society, and we need it. Sex education is so important, especially for people with Disabilities; they are already excluded so they need to be supported, especially if they are gay. I never had that. Regarding sex education, I was only taught the banana and the condom. I also opened up to a teacher, telling them I was gay, but the teacher said nothing. They were not educated. They did nothing. This was devastating to me. It made me feel invisible. I had to seek out education on my own, on the internet, especially homosexual sex education and support since I was Gay and have an extra chromosome.
There is an assumption that people with Disabilities can not belong to this community, that is just not true. There is also an assumption that people with Disabilities do not need to learn about sex. It should not be taboo in the community of those with an extra chromosome or any Disability community. It is one of those things that should be out there, but it is not. This is dangerous because there are huge risks with not receiving sex education and support for being Gay for people with Disabilities. Without the proper education and support, a person with a Disability could get raped, sexually assaulted, or unplanned pregnancy. 3 Some people with a Disability just do not know what is going on in their bodies and what is really happening to them, so having sex education will help them. Especially with current legislation, it is vital that this education and support occurs.
I knew I was gay at a very young age, I have family that are Gay, and as I watched celebrities on TV (e.g., Pink) I found that I was attracted to them. I knew I was Gay. I saw myself in them, and it was due to this late 1990’s early 2000’s pop culture that inspired me to realize who I was. To be in this community where I felt the safest. But, there was no representation in the media of a person with a Disability who was LGBTQ+, or discussions about it in school, and I had no family support. I am still exploring my sexuality and I graduated high school a while ago now. I could have been supported when I was in high school. I am a person with an extra chromosome who just wanted her diploma and did not think about being Gay or being open or anything like that because there was discrimination instead. There are a lot of taboos out there and sex education, and being Gay, while having an extra chromosome are some of them. It is important to look at the legislative part and make sure there is a law for sex education in all schools, ensuring teachers are educated about supporting LGBTQ+ people with Disabilities.
Resources, resources, resources, education, education, education, learning, learning, and learning about the communities that teachers are educating and supporting. Teachers should not be ignorant, they need to understand, and they need to open their minds to the different lifestyles of people with Disabilities. Learn about sex, not just heterosexual sex, learn about homosexual sex to educate and provide resources to students. Learn about periods, learn about the anatomy of a woman’s body or a man’s body, and be educated about every aspect of sex and sex education so that you can provide that education and support to your students with Disabilities who are LGBTQ+. Do not judge. Do not be ignorant. Do not be selfish. Do not think about yourself. Think about others, be empathetic, be there for everybody, and advocate for this population. Especially with current legislation like the Don’t Say Gay bill in Florida, this lack of education and support is even more detrimental to students with Disabilities. People with Disabilities are a sensitive, vulnerable population, and they cannot change that aspect of their lives this is who they are. These laws harm them in now allowing them to figure out more about themselves safely, and there are already barriers for people with Disabilities and this is making them even more vulnerable. No one talks about people with Disabilities who are Gay are often ignored, and these laws are making it even harder for them to be seen, which can really mess with their mental health, leading to the development or continuation of mental health problems. We need to address this problem. We need to learn, educate, and be inspired.
Conclusion
Reading stories like Nicoles is necessary, because these stories shed light on the importance of educators cultivating an environment that enables individuals with Disabilities to explore their identities within safe and accepting spaces. Building on Nicoles’s experience and her insights on the future of supporting LGBTQ+ youth with Disabilities, we recommend to teachers, advocates, and allies to consider: (a) representation of LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities in all forms of media, including research; (b) support for educators and families on how best to support and affirm LGBTQ+ youth with Disabilities; (c) encourage readers, allies, and Disability advocates to actively engage with lawmakers, urging them to enact legislation that ensures comprehensive sex education and robust support for LGBTQ+ youth with Disabilities; and (d) awareness that the attack on one community is an attack on the other: LGBTQ+ rights are Disability Rights. We hope this article stimulates ongoing dialogue and cultivates open and respectfully curious conversations surrounding LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities: I want people to take away from this article that there is a person out there like me, who is an inspiration to everybody all around the world, it doesn’t matter where you live. I want people to open their hearts and their minds and see that there is a person with an extra chromosome who is Gay. I feel like I want people to be a part of the movement with me, fight for love, and fight for Disability rights. If we don’t tell our stories, then I don’t know what the world is going to be like. (Nicole Adler)
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Notes
Author Biographies
Richard A. Price (he/him/they/them) is a white cis-gendered Gay scholar. Richard is a Ph.D. Candidate in Special Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where his research focuses on exploring and examining the services and supports provided in enhnacing the career development of students with significant support needs: Emphasizing intersecting identities such as LGBTQ+ individuals with Disabilities.
Nicole Adler is a in inspirational speaker and equal rights advocate who identities as being both a person with an extra chromosome and Gay. Please visit 
to learn more about Nicole Adler and “Nicole for Love.”
Elaine M. Gilmartin is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a board-certified beahvior analyst and her research focuses on Latino families perspectives to accessing autism services.