Silence = Death
That was the theme of Austin Pride this year and it couldn’t have been more appropriate for such a time as this. In a year when attacks are being made on the LGBTQ+ community on all sides, to stay silent will literally result in deaths. The protections of marriage equality, respect for gender identity, and even the ability to use the bathroom are being taken away at a rapid rate. The cries of DEI as the latest boogieman have led to many schools and businesses bowing the knee to fascist demands that they do away with civil rights for those who are other than white, cis-het, male, and abled.
Trans people are being attacked the worst, followed by the LGBTQ+ community in general, with us disabled folks not far behind. Silence=Death for us all. So, in this time of oppression and hatred, the space to celebrate Pride is vitally important. I felt more than ever I had to attend Pride this year; I just had to figure out how to do it in a wheelchair.
My participation did not go as planned. I relied on friends telling me about it instead of doing my own planning (always a mistake). They had told me that the parade ended in the festival grounds where there were shows and events all day – and where the accessible parking was. So, we planned to go do the festival in the afternoon, grab some dinner, then watch the parade. But as I found out as I got in my car to drive there, the festival and the parade were in two totally different places which I would have known if I had planned ahead, so that is very much my fault. I decided to attempt to still make it to both and headed to pick up my daughter from UT campus – where I got stuck in move-in weekend traffic. By the time we made it out of the campus area, it was obvious there was no time to make it to the festival, hopefully find accessible parking, attend, then get to the parade area, look for and pay for parking again, and make it to the parade.
So, we decided to pivot. We went down to near where the parade area was to grab dinner and then be close. I parked at my go-to spot when doing anything on 6th Street in Austin – the parking garage at St. David’s Episcopal Church. But this was my first time doing 6th Street in a wheelchair and I’m not sure that location is the most accessible option. While the exit from the garage to the church is accessible with an elevator, the exit to the street requires going down a steep incline at the entrance ramp just to get on the sidewalk. And the sidewalk there is so slanted that my chair kept sliding sideways into the street even when in lock. I’ll need to find a better parking option next time.
Thankfully many of the streets in the area were blocked off, so I could just travel on the road instead of the sidewalks. We made our way down to 6th Street to eat dinner at the Iron Cactus – a favorite restaurant of mine. There was a fairly long wait with no good area to wait in, so I felt I was very much in the way the whole time. At one point the greeter suggested we could be seated right away if we wanted to sit on the upstairs outside patio. I asked if there was an elevator to get up there and she looked at me in my wheelchair and replied that I would have to take the stairs. We eventually got sat at a table down a side section where people at other tables had to get up and move their chairs so I could get by in my wheelchair. Sure, the food was good (despite the fact that they’ve raised prices again), but it is obvious that they are unprepared and untrained to accommodate wheelchair users.
After dinner we made our way to Congress Ave. to grab a spot for the Pride parade. We arrived there about an hour before the parade started and easily claimed a spot near the railing. The area remained nearly empty until right before the parade started and then people crowded in. It got so packed that people were crowding and pushing and blocked my view for a good portion of the time despite me being as close to the rails as I possibly could in my chair. That was disappointing, as I wish mutual respect and care would have been more evident. But nevertheless, I had a great time at the parade, cheering and supporting those involved.
It is worth noting that sadly, the parade was much smaller than it has been in the past. With all the fearmongering and pressure to do away with DEI, many businesses withdrew their support and did not participate. While I understand that there are often complaints of rainbow-washing at Pride parades, this year especially, I made note of and celebrated which companies still choose to be there despite the political climate. What was even more disappointed was how few churches chose to participate. Now more than ever the message needs to be sent to marginalized communities that they are loved, appreciated, welcomed, and protected.
After the parade we tried to attend one of the afterparties on 4th Street, but the lines to get in stretched around the block and the cover charge was too steep to just try and see if the venue was accessible enough for a wheelchair to actually move around easily. So, we made our way back to the car and headed home.
I wish I had put more effort into planning ahead and attending the entire Pride festival and I hope that it is still around next year so I can do that. Large public events like Pride can seem daunting for those of us in wheelchairs since very little information is provided upfront and parking info is usually just “Accessible Parking First Come First Serve” which is always anxiety inducing (and what keeps many of us from even trying at all). There were crowds and it was somewhat hard to see and navigate, but I had fun, got caught up in the excitement and the joy, and was blessed to be a part of celebrating equality for all.
