Do you know what the curb cut effect is? It’s both a tangible concept and an analogy. When we started creating curb cuts—ramps that allow people using wheelchairs and other mobility devices to access sidewalks without the barrier of stairs—it turned out that this change helped many people who don’t use these devices. Parents pushing strollers, people riding bicycles, and kids on scooters all benefited from these small, thoughtful changes.
The core idea is simple: when we provide access for those who face the greatest barriers, we remove those obstacles for everyone. At the same time, we uplift everyone’s needs.
On the other hand, when we target and scapegoat a population of people, increasing barriers for them, it can harm many others in the process.
We’re seeing something like this in Texas v. Becerra. This lawsuit claims that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is unconstitutional. Why? Last year, in the preamble (the application rule, not the law itself), gender dysphoria was mentioned as a possible disability. Some people are so determined to erase the experiences and personhood of trans people that they are willing to overturn a law that has been a historic game-changer for people with disabilities. Section 504 provides accommodations for students and adults with disabilities in both education and healthcare settings.
Some people stand so firmly against trans children and adults that they’re willing to erase their needs with great disrespect, all while undermining a landmark piece of legislation that hundreds of disabled people fought for in protests, sit-ins, and an occupation of a federal building that lasted for more than 25 days. Trans people should not be maligned in this way. Disabled people should have their rights upheld.
In this era we’re living in, if we haven’t realized it yet, we’ll soon see how right Martin Luther King Jr. was when he wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Our needs, our personhood, our loves, and our communities are interconnected. We must stand up for those most scapegoated and maligned. Every person deserves this. And when we do, we lift up everyone.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 