Jay Baldwin is Disabled, Queer and Fabulous

 “The world doesn’t know what to do with me,” says Jay. And while the world may not know how to handle Jay’s intersectionality, the Holland Bloorview alum is fearlessly knocking down barriers and becoming a proud community leader. 

Jay is the founder of Disabled, Queer, and Fabulous, a Facebook group for people who identify as queer and disabled. When creating the group, Jay prioritized making it a space for open conversations and meaningful connections. 

“I didn’t choose to be like this! When people see me they don’t see my whole identity.” As someone with multiple identities, Jay was finding it near impossible to find a community of people that fully accepted their whole self.

“People don’t like to push boundaries, they like to put you in boxes. But I don’t fit into anyone’s boxes.”

Jay shared that Holland Bloorview was one of the first places where they felt accepted, where their name and pronouns were accepted. The hospital served as a place where they not only felt safe, but seen. “The hospital made me feel included in something,” said Jay. 

The Holland Bloorview alum has cerebral palsy and has been an inpatient and participant in many of the hospital’s programs. But it was the resources about disability and sexuality that served as especially helpful for Jay in understanding their own identity. Attending virtual events helped them understand and fully embrace their identity. 

For Jay, “a supportive community is a community that recognizes all the intersections that impact my identity, and they recognize the lack of privilege that I have versus them, and they don’t make me feel any less because of it. Because I know I lack privilege in these arenas, but it doesn’t mean I don’t live a good life or don’t deserve to be a part of these communities. It means that they have to be the ones to adapt to me, not the other way around, because I’ve already adapted to other people’s needs my whole life.”

Jay highlights the amazing transformation of the communities around them in recent years. They found a welcoming community at their queer church, a place that acknowledges its privilege, openly talks about sexuality, and embraces all individuals for who they are. The church prioritizes accessibility, and Jay believes is an exemplary way of “taking privilege and using it for good!”

According to Jay, the best part about being a community leader is hearing stories about how folks have come to experience love and acceptance – as they so truly deserve. 

This year Jay kicked off Pride with the premiere of Supporting Our Selves, at the Inside Out Festival. They are featured in the documentary talking about their experience with Toronto Pride as they work to improve accessibility for folks with disabilities. 

Jay hopes to witness a future where “queer, disabled, and BIPOC people are taking over the world, doing things that make them happy, while being their authentic selves. People have paved the way for us to be here, and we deserve to be here. I need people to own who they are and celebrate that! Our younger selves need to see us win!” 

Join Jay in celebrating Pride and watch the Supporting Ourselves Documentary. 

If you want to learn more about how to start a conversation about sexuality, check out Becoming You, a Holland Bloorview developed resource developed for youth with disabilities, parents, and caregivers.