Welcome to Hot and Disabled!

I was born with cerebral palsy, which is not, itself, an interesting fact, but it’s led me to some interesting experiences where other people are concerned. I write about those experiences here, because I’ve spent decades watching jaws drop when I tell people what sorts of shit I get said to me from complete strangers.

“Who ARE these people?” asks anyone who’s cool with disabled people (like you). They can’t imagine treating my body like it’s either a circus show or a portal to Hell, but I’ve gotten both. I’ve also gotten the guys who tell me that I’m hot even though you wouldn’t expect Someone Like Me to be sexy. Which is such levels of dumbassitude as I don’t have a language for. But! It means I get to talk about sex/sexuality and related matters in public as part of my activism, so that’s a win for me.

I walk with Sidestix, which are miraculous custom crutches from Canada. It shouldn’t be miraculous to have walking aids that are actually made for you, but I’m in the US! Specifically, this moment, I’m in Georgia, where I’m currently in a Creative Writing MFA program and teaching Freshman Composition.

So I talk about writing too.

I’m from New Orleans originally, but I’ve lived all over the US, so I’m also obsessed with regional cultural differences. I’d be honored to have you join the conversation, from wherever you’re at.