Addressing disability stigma within the lesbian community

Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination are primary mechanisms that foster both societal and individualized stigma (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). In general, individuals with disability are stigmatized, segregated and marginalized. All of these negative concepts create the basis of stigma (Buljevac, Majdak, & Leutar, 2010). Because stigma reflects societal views, unless external forces change, marginalized groups will continue to encounter barriers to inclusion (Phemister & Crewe, 2004). Lesbians encounter disparities at higher levels than their heterosexual counterparts in psychiatric and physical healthcare (Case, Austin, Hunter, et al., 2004; Cochran & Mays, 2007; Dilley, Simmons, Boysun, Pizacani & Stark, 2010; Kelly & Robinson, 2011). Being a lesbian and living with a disability is complex and multidimensional as the individual must integrate within these two marginalized groups as well as address the pressures of disclosing dual minority statuses in community and professional settings (Harris & Licata, 2000; Underhile & Cowles, 1998). Research suggests that lesbians with disability may experience resistance from both the disability and lesbian communities (Doucette, 1990; Rembis, 2010), and may experience difficulty with finding intimate partners (Abbott & Mcconkey, 2006; Blosnich, & Bossarte, 2012). Citizens learn to marginalize subcultures from governmental policies and practices (Gledhill, 2014). The purpose of this article is to facilitate understanding of the challenges of navigating life as a lesbian with a disability. Most directly, the processes and challenges associated with being a dual minority and navigating life events will be investigated including coming out, dating and intimacy and societal changes critical to improving the quality of life for lesbians with a disability. Finally, recommendations for rehabilitation counselors and training programs will be discussed. Double Jeopardy? Despite the commonalities of the civil rights movement and the disability rights movement, some people of color and some people with disabilities do not respect the gay rights movement. For example, Williams (1993) explained that "some conservative blacks opposed homosexuality on religious grounds" and that despite both movements having the goal of social equality and basic human rights, "many blacks draw the line at likening racism to anti-gay sentiment"(para. 6). This disrespect exists within different disability groups. Burns and Davies (2011), reported that among 27 women with intellectual disabilities, most held traditional gender role beliefs, which were associated with negative views of gay individuals. This is a typical response, however, to internalized oppression. Society tends to encourage minority groups to practice infighting. In the end, both groups experience oppression, regardless of the other identity differences among each other. Individuals can be privileged regarding one social identity and oppressed in another social identity. For example, a lesbian can be oppressed and stigmatized within the straight community, but act as the oppressor or stigmatize others regarding people with disabilities. In a dating example, dating within the gay community often comes with racism and racist remarks such as, "I don't do Asians" or "I prefer white boys." Helligar (2014) explained the impact of these dating practices by quoting a gay male who faced rejection in dating, "... rejection for being of a certain race stings so much more than being overlooked because of your hair or eye color, or even your gender." Although Helligar is speaking primarily of gay male behavior, it stands to follow that racism exists within all parts of the gay community, regardless of gender. Within the disability community, some gay people have reported feeling ostracized because of their sexual orientation. Lesbian women within the qualitative study by Hunt, Milsom, and Matthews (2009) reported "receiving negative responses once the nature of their relationship was understood" (p. …