Transportation Access

Harry Wieder Remembered for Humor, Activism and Diversity

By Emily F. Keller

    Harry Wieder fought for civil rights by teaching people about pride.

    Whether he was advocating for gay rights with the group ACT UP, writing lengthy and humorous emails about the city’s transportation policies, or instructing his friends to “get down on your knees and hug me,” Wieder was unapologetic in his demands.

    In his 57 years of life, Wieder fought many battles for equal rights and respect as a gay, disabled, Jewish dwarf. He was remembered as a four-foot giant with an edgy sense of humor and a persistent presence in society’s cultural, educational and political institutions. His work often focused on New York City’s transportation network, which enabled Wieder to access his activities.

    Wieder passed away in late April after being struck by a taxi as he left a meeting of Community Board 3 in his Lower East Side neighborhood. He was a longtime member of the board. Friends and politicians held a memorial for Wieder at The Cooper Union May 20.

    Weeks later, friends hung a pair of white crutches on a metal pole where he was struck, joining him with the Ghost Bikes project that memorializes bicyclists killed by vehicles. The crutches are a symbol of inclusiveness, linking street safety for all people the same way Wieder brought disparate groups and causes together in his life.

Couple Exchanges Vows in Central Park

By Emily F. Keller

  

     Disability rights activists Alejandra Ospina and Nick Dupree celebrated their love and commitment at Merchants’ Gate in  Central Park on Sunday.

    Ospina is a representative for GimpGirl Community, an Internet organization that supports women and girls with disabilities, an English-Spanish translator and a health care reform advocate who has testified at New York City Council hearings. She has attended Hunter College.

    Dupree, who is from Alabama, is a long-term health care reform advocate and writer who attended Spring Hill College. Dupree led a two-year campaign called Nick’s Crusade that enabled 25 people in Alabama who are ventilator-dependent to receive home care past the age of 21.

      At the commitment  ceremony, the couple listened to love poems and live music, read original vows to each other and hosted a discussion on marriage equality to the friends and family members who joined them.

    Ospina and friends Nadina LaSpina, Elaine Kolb, Julie Maury and Jessica Delarosa spoke about their opposition to Medicaid rules that discourage couples who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from marrying for fear that their health services will be taken away.