As Pride Month arrives each year, cities like Liverpool burst into colour with parades, music, and messages of love and equality. Pride should be for everyone, but for many disabled individuals, it still isn’t.
From inaccessible parade routes to attitudinal barriers and venues with no step-free access, disabled members of the LGBTQ+ community often find themselves sidelined from the very events meant to celebrate inclusion.
This blog post explores how we can—and must—do better.
Why Accessibility at Pride Matters
Liverpool is a city rich in community spirit. But when it comes to Pride accessibility, we’re still catching up to cities like Amsterdam or Berlin, which offer:
Wheelchair-accessible viewing zones
On-site personal care support
Step-free venues for afterparties
Disability-trained volunteers
If they can do it, why can’t we?
1. Physical Barriers: Parade Routes & Public Spaces
Parade routes often lack:
Designated wheelchair paths
Safe spaces for people with sensory sensitivities
Clear signage for disabled attendees
Navigating a packed crowd in a wheelchair or while visually impaired can be overwhelming, even dangerous. Pride events must provide clear, inclusive planning from the start.
2. Lack of Personal Support and Assistance
Many disabled people require support with eating, using the toilet, or managing sensory overload. Yet most Pride events don’t provide:
Trained support workers
Quiet rest areas
Easily accessible toilets
💡 Los Angeles Pride generated $74.7 million in 2019. If even 1% of that was allocated to accessibility support, think of the change it could bring.
3. Inaccessible Venues and Afterparties
While the parade may be outside, celebrations often move indoors—into:
Upstairs-only bars
Clubs without ramps
Venues with bathrooms that are too small for wheelchairs
It’s time the party included everyone, all night long.
4. Emotional Accessibility and Ableism
Ableism doesn’t just look like a lack of ramps—it looks like:
Stares when a disabled person joins a dancefloor
Feeling invisible at group events
Being excluded from planning or speaking roles
We must make space not just physically, but emotionally and socially, for everyone.
5. The Problem of Representation
Too often, Pride fails to include disabled LGBTQ+ people visibly.
To change this, we need to:
Include disabled people on Pride committees
Create dedicated disability-led floats or marching groups
Feature disabled voices in Pride media and marketing
Representation sends a clear message: You belong here.
How Liverpool Can Lead the Way in Inclusive Pride
Let’s make Liverpool’s Pride a leader in accessibility by:
✅ Adding wheelchair-accessible parade paths
✅ Providing personal assistants and care zones
✅ Ensuring all events have step-free access
✅ Offering sensory-friendly quiet spaces
✅ Training volunteers in disability awareness
✅ Hosting disability inclusion workshops in the run-up to Pride
Let’s Redefine What Pride Looks Like
Pride is meant to celebrate diversity, but true celebration only happens when everyone can participate.
Liverpool has the heart, passion, and community spirit to lead the way in disability inclusion—and it starts with listening, learning, and taking real action.
If you are already doing this in your city or town, please share the information in the comments below, as I would love to share it.
With love always,
Alisha 🫶
📬 Need support, want to collaborate, or fancy a chat? Click here to contact me
