LGBTQIA+ in the Deaf Community

LGBTQIA+ means people who have different types of love and gender identity. The letters stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual. The + symbol means there are more identities too. Some deaf people are also LGBTQIA+. This means they have two parts of identity: being deaf and being LGBTQIA+.

What is LGBTQIA+?

LGBTQIA+ includes different groups:

Lesbian: Women who love women
Gay: Men who love men
Bisexual: People who love both men and women
Transgender: People whose gender is different from what doctors said at birth
Queer: People who think differently about gender and love
Intersex: People born with body features that are not only male or female
Asexual: People who do not feel sexual attraction

Deaf LGBTQIA+ Groups in Europe

In Europe, there are groups for deaf LGBTQIA+ people:

EDY∞ (European Deaf Youth ∞): This is a focus group of EUDY for young deaf LGBTQIA+ people in Europe. They help with education and support[1].
Roze Gebaar: This is a Dutch group for deaf and hard-of-hearing LGBTQIA+ people. They make events like Pride accessible with sign language

Challenges

Deaf LGBTQIA+ people face special challenges:

Double discrimination: Some people treat them unfairly for being deaf AND for being LGBTQIA+[4].
Communication problems: It can be hard to find LGBTQIA+ information in sign language[2].
Small community: The deaf LGBTQIA+ community is small, so it can be hard to meet others like you

Finding Support

If you are deaf and LGBTQIA+ or want to support someone who is:

Join online groups like EDY∞ on Instagram (@edyoo.pride)[6]
Look for special events with sign language interpreters at Pride events[3]
Ask deaf community centers if they have LGBTQIA+ groups
Remember: In the EU, it is illegal to discriminate against people because of sexual orientation at work

Being an Ally

An ally is someone who supports LGBTQIA+ people. You can be an ally by:

Learning about LGBTQIA+ topics
Respecting people’s identities
Standing up against unfair treatment
Using the right names and pronouns people ask you to use

Everyone deserves respect, no matter who they love or how they identify. Diversity makes our community stronger.

Remember: 76% of Europeans agree that LGBTQIA+ people should have the same rights as everyone else[7].