Ableism – speciesism on the agenda

When intersecting oppressions (or ‘intersectionality) are discussed, ableism often seems to be left out of the picture, or only marginally touched upon or scantly mentioned.
The focus is often more (or solely) on racism and sexism.**

This is also evident in the vegan and animal rights movement, with scant attention to the intersections between ableism and speciesism, both in advocacy and in critical animal studies.

And yes, there are efforts to fill that void (trying to lay some tiny bricks here too with #criphumanimal), but their numbers and volume pale in comparison to the stack of work with respect to the intersections of racism/sexism and speciesism, which are being explored increasingly since decades (although by far not even often enough too!).

It is estimated that 16% of the world’s human population, experience significant disability. And this is most likely an underestimation, not taking into account people who are not ‘officially’ recognised as ‘disabled’ because of institutionalised ableism. Or people who don’t even recognise themselves as ‘disabled’ because of internalised ableism.
And there are also the billions of other animals disabled and exploited by the Animal Industrial Complex.

At the intersections are issues like the animalisation of disabled people, ableist and speciesist language use, the health impact of the Animal Industrial Complex on both other animals and humans (people who work there, those living in the area, ..), the impact of eating animals on human health, (in) accessibility and inclusion of disabled and chronically ill vegans in the movement, disabling of other animals by mutilating their bodies, etc.

➡️➡️ Why do you think that is? Why is it so hard to get ableism on the agenda?
Why are the voices of disabled vegans/animal rights activists so underrepresented in the movement?

NOTE
** Not my intention to start an oppression olympics here.
Injustice is equally injustice. Discrimination is equally discrimination and oppression is oppression. And is equally wrong, there’s no weighing scale.

** On intersectionality, see ‘Intersectionality’. In the words of Kimberlé Crenshaw’

Posted on the FB page and IG of Crip Humanimal on September 25, 2023.