“You absorb those stories,” they said, “and it’s hard to feel empowered and sexy."
Lambird elaborated on these views in an Instagram post in May, accompanied by a photo of them posing in their wheelchair while wearing teal lingerie and black jeans. “Disabled people are hot,” they wrote. “And mobility aids aren’t a sign of tragedy, they are a source of freedom, which is totally sexy.”
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Lambird has helped to assert the beauty and desirability of disabled people both by speaking out and through their own activism. In addition to being a star athlete, Lambird is also a model: In a 2016 campaign for Target, they became the first adult in a wheelchair to model for a major campaign in Australia.
But while it’s exciting to be the first at anything, Lambird noted how the achievement highlighted a profound lack of disabled representation. “It seemed like it was a really long time coming and that I shouldn't have been the first," they told MamaMia.
After Canadian soccer player Quinn made history by becoming the first nonbinary gold medalist during the 2020 Olympics, Lambird will be one of at least three openly nonbinary or gender-neutral athletes to be participating in the Paralympic Games. They join their fellow Australian teammate Maz Strong on the track, as well as American rower Laura Goodkind.
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