Crip Queer Storytelling: An Intersectional Analysis

Abstract Where are queer disabled characters, and how do they avoid tokenization? This particular approach will use the following criteria as its foundation: 1) The story has a character who is both disabled and queer. (This must be explicit in some way and not ambiguously coded within the text, or solely paratextual.) 2) The character is central to the narrative. (If the character were removed, would the story change significantly?) 3) The story can be affected by disability, but (with due respect to making space for such stories) the story isn’t solely/centrally about disability/overcoming ableism. The hope with these criteria is to articulate instances of queer disabled representation that are nuanced and move beyond mere tokenization, or beyond characterization that is primarily defined by the character’s marginalized identities, with emphasis on intersectional possibilities in fiction. This exploration sits at the nexus of Creative Writing Studies, Queer Studies, and Disability Studies to consider representation complexly, examining a place of potential evolution/expansion in creative writing.