DIVA chats to York Quiet Pride to learn more about how spaces can be inclusive
BY VEE WILSON, IMAGE BY ALVAROSTOCK
Just a stone’s throw from a field full of funfair rides, where groups of friends adorned in rainbow hats and various colourful flags gather to enjoy delicious food, Helen Jones sat alone in her bedroom. From her window, she could hear the excitement of people gathering to celebrate York Pride. While music blared, people danced, ate, and took delight in being around others in their community, Helen had no choice but to listen from a distance. Being a wheelchair user and someone who is neurodivergent, she felt anger and frustration bubble up at the thought of being left out of the community, simply because the space was not made accessible to her. But from that rage came an idea, and four years ago, Helen founded York Quiet Pride.
Being the chair of the York Disability Rights Forum since 2020 and already having some experience with disability activism in the city, Helen knew that something had to change. “I realised I’m not the only person out there who feels this way,” she explains. “And that’s where the idea of a Quiet Pride was born.”
Research shows that people within the LGBTQIA+ community are more likely to have a disability than the general population. In the UK, at least 32.4% of people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, between the ages of 16 and 24, are also disabled, compared with only 12.6% of the overall population. Similarly, a recent study found that transgender and gender-diverse individuals were three to six times more likely to have autism than cisgender individuals. On top of that, women with autism are more likely to be homosexual, while men with autism are more likely to be bisexual. Yet, LGBTQIA+ disabled and neurodivergent people continue to be left out of spaces where they belong, especially Pride events.
Noisy, bright, and crowded – attributes that you might think make Pride, Pride. After all, isn’t it meant to be loud and proud? But the normalisation of a Pride that looks like this fails all the wonderful disabled and neurodivergent people of our community, who equally deserve to be a part of the celebration. York Quiet Pride is one solution to this problem. While a loud Pride has its place, both as a protest and a celebration, Quiet Pride offers an entirely different experience. Quiet Pride is an event run by a community, for a community, offering a Pride space with adaptations that prioritise disabled and neurodivergent experiences first.
Adaptations made for the event include: having a BSL interpreter on site, a quiet room (which includes a Chapel this year, as an extra soothing space), a building with level access on three floors, a lift that fits a power chair (an electric wheelchair), both accessible and gender-neutral toilets on all floors, and lap trays for wheelchair users that can‘t use tables – just to name a few. The event will also run workshops and activities, all of which are made adaptable for people with various abilities.
Helen says that while some Pride events are attempting to make their venues more accessible, it just isn’t enough. “I heard that at York Pride this year, there was matting put down on the grass in certain areas, so that wheelchairs don’t sink,” she says. “I believe it just stopped in the middle of nowhere, so you couldn’t actually get to the stands or other areas if you were in a wheelchair.” Her advice to others trying to make spaces accessible, whether at a main Pride or a Quiet Pride, is: “Be prepared to learn. Be open to feedback. And demonstrate that you’re welcoming.”
The fact that Pride events across the country are gradually implementing adaptations for disabled and neurodivergent attendees is a good sign, and Helen hopes that they will continue to improve. “But I think alongside that, there’s a lot of value in creating more spaces like Quiet Pride,” she adds. “It’s a different approach. It’s quiet for those people who need it, and because we’re a lot smaller than a large Pride event, it allows a community to build because you can have conversations with people. You can connect. It helps disabled queer people feel less alone, and it’s important to see people that are like you.”
The York Disability Rights Forum will be hosting its next Quiet Pride at the York St John University Creative Centre on August 14, which you can book online.
You can also read their manifesto if you’re interested in hosting your own Quiet Pride event.
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