Telling young disabled LGBT + stories

Plummer's seminal work 'Telling Sexual Stories' explores the importance of telling stories in relation to forming identity and community. It explores how we tell stories to understand ourselves and in turn how we fit within the world. Stories, it is suggested, have the power under the right circumstances to move into the public consciousness and become accepted life narratives. Importantly, Plummer examines how some stories become dominant narratives whilst others remain isolated or 'floating' without ever taking off. One example is how gay stories are analysed in relation to the cultural shifts which enabled them to enter a wider cultural consciousness. Although written over 26 years ago, the assertion remains astutely valid, and many sexual stories are still not being heard. The stories of young disabled LGBT+ person fit this category. Plummer (1995) suggests that certain stories often slot into cultural understanding because of their alignment with accepted narratives. Yet, this has not been the case for young disabled LGBT+ persons. Such stories reside largely in private isolated tellings. Using this framework and my own empirical research, I will explore the resistance to these stories and propose ways that this may be addressed. Put simply, I will explore why young LGBT+ disabled stories have not yet had their time. In order to do this, I will do two three things: First, examine what the current narratives are; secondly, explore how stories are adopted in the cultural consciousness and what the stages are for this taking place; and finally examine how young people are empowering themselves and how empowerment can be enabled by others