The new Disability-Inclusive Pride Flag was unveiled during London’s Pride on Saturday.
Global social enterprise, Evenbreak, collaborated with the creator of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, Valentino Vecchietti, to incorporate the disability flag in the shape of a heart into the Inclusive Pride flag.
The new flag was seen dancing in the crowds as the Evenbreak team and Valentino walked the parade.
Dayna Halliwell, Content and Engagement Manager at Evenbreak, led the collaboration and organised the Pride visit. She said: “It was very moving and amazing to see the reaction of disabled people in the audience. You could see the joy on their faces of being represented in the parade.”
The flag is part of a wider campaign called #PrideInTalent being led by Evenbreak who felt it was important that the intersection between the disability and LGBTIQA+ community was highlighted.
The flag will now go touring at employers’ officers with guidance on intersectionality.
Evenbreak is the only global disability job board run by and for disabled people. Founded by Jane Hatton in 2011, Evenbreak works to close the disability employment gap by connecting talented disabled candidates with inclusive employers.
Valentino Vecchietti (she/her) is an artist, writer, and the creator of our current global Pride flag, the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, she works globally to create LGBTIA+ inclusion, representation, and funding. Vecchietti is also an intersex consultant and the founder of Intersex Equality Rights, an intersex-led organisation focused on research, campaigns, and advocacy. Vecchietti’s work has been recognised on the Diva Power List, The Pride Power List, The Independent Pride List, Lesbian 100 List.
Valentino Vecchietti (she/her) said: “Inclusive is the keyword in my Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag and I am really delighted and honoured to create this Disability-Inclusive version of my Inclusive Pride flag in collaboration with Evenbreak. This collaboration serves to uplift the voices of our diverse community at the intersection of LGBTIA+ and Disability, to create empowerment, joy, and raise awareness.”
Jane Hatton, Evenbreak’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to partner with Valentino Vecchietti in launching a disability-inclusive version of the Inclusive Pride flag to create LGBTIQA+ disabled representation.
Recognizing that 1 in 3 members of the LGBTIQA+ community are also disabled, celebrating this intersectionality 365 days a year is essential not only to Evenbreak but to the wider community. We anticipate the flag will have far-reaching effects, and our commitment to a more equitable and accepting society will continue long after the end of Pride Month.”
Danya Halliwell, Content and Engagement Manager at Evenbreak, led the campaign in collaboration with Valentino Vecchietti.
She said: “As a disabled queer person, it was important that we at Evenbreak approached Pride Month in the right way. This meant focusing on listening to the community and creating a campaign that centers authentic voices. Through conversations with our ambassadors and internal LGBTIQA+ colleagues, a recurring theme emerged: many felt ‘left out’ or ‘not thought of,’ both in Pride events and in general.
This inspired the PrideInTalent campaign, with a key activity being our collaboration with Valentino Vecchietti to create a disability-inclusive version of Valentino’s Inclusive Pride flag to represent LGBTIQA+ disabled people. For me, this project is a historic milestone and has been a long time coming. I hope disabled queer people feel seen and included. We’ll be walking in the parade this Saturday, so look out for our flag!”
We hope you will join us in celebrating and sharing this historic moment for the LGBTIQA+ disabled community.