Disability Pride Month Starts with Betrayal in the Senate
We are proud. We are powerful. And we will not be silent.
Dear Friends,
July is Disability Pride Month!
It is a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and brilliance of the disability community. At Disability Rights Montana, we honor the legacy of those who fought for our rights and the vibrant future we are building together.
This fight continues today and we cannot celebrate Disability Pride without also defending the very systems that make our independence possible.
This morning, on the first day of Disability Pride Month, the U.S. Senate, along with Montana Senators Daines and Sheehy, voted to slash over $1 trillion from Medicaid, a lifeline for millions of disabled people. There is no way to cut $1 trillion form Medicaid without hurting the people who need it. This is not just a budget cut, it is an attack on our freedom, our health, and our right to live in our communities with dignity. Montanans will be harmed because of the way our Senators voted.
Disability Pride
The colored stripes each represent different types of disabilities, and the black background of the Disability Pride flag is a symbol of mourning and rage for the lives lost to ableism, neglect, and systemic injustice of policies that lead to the death of disabled people. Today, that rage is more than symbolic. We must not let life sustaining services and the people who rely on them go gentle into that good night. The wise, good, wild, and grave of us must all rage, rage against the dying of the light.
You can help. There is still a chance to minimize the harm.
Call your U.S. Representative: Share your story. Let them know what Medicaid means to you, your family, and your community, and tell them to vote NO on any bill that cuts Medicaid.
Troy Downing: D.C., (202) 225-3211; Helena, (406) 502-1435; Billings, (406) 413-6720
Ryan Zinke: D.C., (202) 225-5628; Missoula, (406) 317-0277; Kalispell, (406) 317-0277
Spread the word: Forward this email, post on social media, and raise your voice.
We are proud. We are powerful. And we will not be silent.
In solidarity and strength,
David Carlson
Executive Director
Disability Rights Montana
Disability Justice is only accomplished by the joining together of our community, raising our voices, and making known our perspective on the rampant ableism that plagues our society. This action is all that some of us can afford.
However, our work is also driven by the generous contributions made to Disability Rights Montana. If you are in a position to support the financial needs of the Disability Rights Movement, you can help us by either being a paid subscriber to our Substack or sending us a donation directly.
You can also customize how you support Montana’s Disability Community with a one-time or reoccurring donation.