11/9/26 - Turek, international news, and live music accessibility

Good afternoon!

Let's get right to it ...

Josh Turek’s complicated victory is a mandate for community building

John Loeppky, Disabled Journalists Association - November 5, 2026

"When we look at stories like Turek’s, it’s important to remember that Disabled athletes are not a monolith. Plenty of Disabled athletes are card-carrying Republicans or evangelical Christians, but there’s also a large contingent of LGBTQ+ athletes in the para sport world. Given that range, Turek’s stance on trans athletes isn’t surprising, especially from a moderate. The most vocal advocates for trans rights in para sport circles have tended to be women, and Disabled athletes often speak their minds fully only after they retire from elite competition. Many have biases to unpack once they leave the sport, and Turek is in the unusual position of doing that as a lawmaker. Whether the para sport community will be willing or able to push him further left remains an open question."

After today, I'm probably going to stop sharing links and writing about Senator-Elect Josh Turek and his position on trans issues – for a while at least. But first, I want to share this piece by John Loeppky, and add a few more points that have come to me over the last few days:

• At first, it seemed like Turek's position on trans issues might be forgotten, either accidentally or kinda/sorta on purpose, maybe so as not to spoil a rare moment of joy and victory in disability activism. Some of the intensity of responses may be because people worried about it being swept under the rug. But, based on what I'm seeing in articles and social media posts, it's clearly not going to be forgotten. It just that it still takes some time, even in social media, to catch up on these things.
• I find that the greatest danger for me when things like this happen in disability culture is that I become fixated on conflicts among disabled people over what's the "right way" to feel and talk about it – instead of focusing on what to do about it more substantively. I think that's still a risk we run right now – that we will continue to passive-aggressively fight among ourselves on Facebook and, ironically, leave Turek basically untouched.
• However, I have also seen hopeful signs that disabled people who know how to talk to politicians are reaching out to Turek. And that, I believe, includes not just advocacy professionals and people who tend to be conciliatory, but also some of the most outspoken and passionate about disability politics being in solidarity with trans people.
• None of this means the problem is solved and we can all relax. It does mean that for the time being, we probably don't have to fight with each other and repeat arguments that have already been made. We can if we want to of course. I'm not telling anyone to shut up. But I am suggesting that we are past the point of urgency where each of our particular views is critical. It's all out there, I think, and being worked on.

So that's all for now. Let's see what happens from here. I still believe that disabled people have something unique to contribute to discussion of trans issues. And we can learn a lot about empathy, solidarity, and communication from this particular moment, no matter how it all turns out.

From Madrid To Istanbul: Disability Stories Around The World | Crip Life™

Crip Life™ - October 31, 2026

"This month, we've had the pleasure of featuring disability stories from around the globe, starting in Madrid with an accessible clothing brand for people living with stomas, then heading across Europe to Italy, Greece and Turkey, where disabled writers, advocates and artists share their lived experiences of accessing care and facing social barriers in their home countries. Plus, we interview a British couple who are embarking on an accessible adventure around the world and want to break disability barriers along the way."

Now that the U.S. midterm elections are over, it's about time I looked up and noticed that disability news and culture continues to happen elsewhere in the world. Crip Life™ is always a good place to catch up.

Disabled fans say the live-music industry can do better: 'We are not a pain in the ass'

Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone - November 1, 2026

"Over the last year, I’ve spoken with more than 50 people across the disabled community and the entertainment industry about accessibility — its history, its present, and its future. I also attended more shows, where my experiences ranged from frustrating to perfectly fine to genuinely great. But despite bright spots and improvements in the disability landscape, the fact remains that too many disabled people still feel cast aside or left out entirely when it comes to live entertainment."

I'm sharing this piece partially because the topic is interesting and, in its own way, important. To be honest, though, I'm also excited just to see a disability article in one of my longtime favorite magazines. I don't read Rolling Stone much anymore. But it's the first magazine subscription I took out entirely of my own decision and with my own money. From about 1983 to, I believe, 2005, I got Rolling Stone in the mail every month. And I've got at least two big "best of" Rolling Stone books on my shelves. This is a long article, as many classic Rolling Stone articles have been over the years. But it's absolutely worth reading from beginning to end. It's great to see that the magazine still covers music-related issues thoroughly, personally, (in this case by a disabled reporter, partially in first-person POV), with both passion and balance. What impresses me most is that much of the piece could function as a basic but freshly-worded introduction to disability rights and accessibility in general. We desperately need new ways to reintroduce and explain these concepts, which haven't been "new" in any sense for decades. This article does that beautifully.

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