Direct Me To The ADA?

Part 1. Preparing for pride

It’s a few days before pride as I'm writing this. A lot of people are thinking about what to wear or making sure they got what they need from their plug but… right now I am stuck thinking about if I will experience the party from within the barriers of the ADA section or risk that I may not be able to see my favorite artist but at least I would experience her music with some of my closest girlies, rubbed up against other bodies in the sea of people. 

Here's an experiment; grab your Bestie and give them a big hug. Now sit in a chair while they continue standing and repeat this wholesome exercise. How did that feel compared to the one standing? Definitely some more gaps to fill-in than compared to when y’all were standing. Sometimes the person sitting has their arms stretched so high it’s like reaching for a top shelf. The person standing and leaning over might feel like they are straining their back if they hold a hug for too long. I’m not gonna lie it’s real and I have literally been told someone’s back was hurting after hugging me for too long. Not saying that to be catty or because I think it was wrong to say but it does leave a lingering feeling of guilt.

My point is that it’s a different world down here rolling on four wheels . Every interaction is different. When you’re out clubbing people have to lean down to hear you. You can’t just lean over to your friend’s ear. You have to tap on their stomachs or lower backs (which honestly kinda makes me feel like a creep) or I have to snag on their pant legs like a child. It isn’t just clubs where this is an issue; this might  be a slightly busy street. It often feels like I am operating in a different world down here; trying to project my voice through a fog of fuzz looming right over my head.

Nothing depicts this boundary more visually to me than the ADA barriers at a concert venue. They’re there for a reason. They can protect us from an intense amount of body heat which some of us may be sensitive to. They might also protect our view of the stage… I kind of doubt this though because most of the time the ADA section is all the way to the side of the stage where we get to see your profile of the artist but typically not their stage, decor, dancers, visuals; restricted to only seeing part of it. 

This may be a great allegory for being disabled period… but not digging into that yet.