Exclusion Is Ugly (Representation and The Ugly Laws)

I’ve had this opinion/thought for a while and I’m finally sharing it. (And I’m definitely “saying the quiet part out loud” so to speak.)

I fully believe the lack of physically disabled people shown in media is, at least hugely, due to the Ugly Laws.

If you don’t know what the Ugly Laws were: they were basically laws throughout the United States from the 1860s (I’ve seen and heard various start years, but all in the 1860s) to 1974 (three years after my own mother was born) that outlawed people viewed as physically unattractive being in public unless begging for a cure, being paraded through town (like people in wagons getting tomatoes thrown at them in movies), and/or selling ourselves to the circus for the entertainment of people not affected by Ugly Laws. (That’s why I hate the circus and anything having to do with it.)

I’m pretty sure this where the word “beggar” came from or at least gained in popularity.

One group of people impacted by these laws, and who I’m focusing on today (because I am one, is wheelchair users.

I was born disabled. I have always been and will always be a wheelchair user. I didn’t believe I could be in a healthy, romantic and sexual relationship with someone until I was 19 years old. I didn’t see a romantic comedy starring a wheelchair user (“Christmas Ever After” starring Ali Sroker) until I was 19.

I remember growing up and having no wheelchair users in my family and seeing little to no wheelchair users on TV (the only one I can think of is in “Princess Diaries” and I wrote about that). And now I believe it’s greatly due to the Ugly Laws.

Wheelchair users were mostly not allowed in public for over a century (100 years). People got used to not seeing just (either as equals or not at all). And that habit is apparently hard to break. Wheelchair users are still rarely shown in media and/or any career field. When we are, nine times out of ten it’s inspiration “corn” (I’m not sure if I can say he other word on here without getting in trouble) for able-bodied and not disabled people. When we are given a spotlight for any other reason, a lot of the time we’re still viewed as ugly and treated as such.

It’s definitely gotten better (what with people like Rebekeh Taussig, Judy/Judith Heumann (RIP), James Lebrecht, Ali Stroker, Kiera Allen, Sophie Butler, Chelsie Hill, Joci Scott (who also has a new short film out now), The Rollettes (which Chelsie and Joci are also part of), Jenna Bainbridge, Bri Scalesse, Kaylee Bays, Sophie Morgan, Marissa Bode, and there may be a couple more but I can’t remember more names right now being more mainstream, well-known, and receiving recognition), but it’s still not great and is nowhere near enough.