FEMIDISCA

By Merion Lomari*

This illustration is inspired in the advocacy and activism of women and other groups with disability. I firmly believe there are different ways to be an activist and that “putting one’s body on the line” is not the only one. But I also believe that marches are public spaces that must take everyone into account, with accessibility features and security protocols in place with a disability perspective.

In the illustration, there is a play on words: the clipping “Femidisca”, linking two political identities that intersect in many of us: that of feminism (femi- in Spanish) and that of disability (disca- in Spanish). One of the women in the illustration has tied a green scarf to her cane. The scarf is a symbol of the campaign for legal, safe and free abortion in Argentina. It is also a symbol of the fight for rights and the resistance of pregnant persons, including, of course, those with disabilities.

I firmly believe there are different ways to be an activist and that “putting one’s body on the line” is not the only one. But I also believe that marches are public spaces that must take everyone into account.

[Image description: against a light blue background, there is a crowd of people with different types of canes. There is a sign with the wheelchair user symbol with a hand raised in a fist. Three women are highlighted in the illustration. The first is a blind, Black woman. She has shoulder length hair and is wearing a pair of jeans and a green shirt. She is holding up a white cane. A green scarf is tied to it. Next to her, there is a woman in a wheelchair. She has red hair and is wearing it up on a half pony tail. She is wearing black sweatpants, a purple t-shirt with a lunar symbol, and is carrying a crossbody bag, with an LGBTIQ+pin on it. She is raising her hand up in a fist. Lastly, there is a woman of short stature. She has pink hair and is wearing denim overalls. She is raising both her hands in fists. To the right of the image, a sign reads “Femidisca”.]

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*About the artist:

Mariana Veliz, alias Merion Lomari, Lives in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an illustrator, an advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities and a member of the LGBTTQI+ collective.

You can follow her on Instagram as @merionlomari.