Mean Little Deaf Queer: A Memoir by Terry Galloway

I’m a disabled vet. In the grand scheme of things, my disability is minor. I have some service related issues with my right foot that keep me in a form of daily pain that I’ve learned to deal with. It only becomes difficult for me if I need to stand still for 15 minutes or more. If I’m moving around, I’m fine for several hours but my pain will be more noticeable a few hours later or the next day. I’m still pretty mobile and for that I’m truly thankful.

Because of a motorcycle accident that was entirely my own fault, I broke two bones and a finger of my right, dominate hand. I’ve had a bone graft out of my wrist to repair one of the two bones during a 2nd surgery because the first surgery didn’t work to heal it. I’ve had plates in the hand now for several years. I have daily pain that worsens when it’s cold and damp. Naproxen Sodium is a wonderful, over the counter, non-addictive drug, that helps immensely with the hand (and even some with the foot). Still and all, my ability to grip is compromised. I can’t effectively throw a ball or swing a bat or club ending my lesbian sporting career before it ever really began.

Terry Galloway was born with at least two disability strikes against her – her hearing in both ears. Because of experimental antibiotic drugs her mother was given prior to her birth, she was born partially deaf. By the time she was nine, she was profoundly deaf. She could hear very, very minimal sound only with the help of immense, clunky hearing aides. Her deafness lead to her learning to become an expert lip reader and to be able to speak with almost no impediment. She jokes that people that hear her for the first time think she speaks with a French accent.

Below is a link to a YouTube video where Terry talks about getting cochlear implants and the possibility of having full, technology aided hearing versus the fear of completely loosing the teeny, tiny bit of hearing she has if the operation fails or there are complications.

The video was shot in 2009. Terry got implants in May of 2010. When they were were activated several months after she had surgery… well, you’ll just have to look it up to read the results. I don’t want to spoil it for you!

The remarkable thing about Terry is that despite her disability – or quite possibly, because of it – she became a performer. She travels the country dishing out her own, unique brand of humor and encouragement. She mixes both her disability and her innate queerness to maximum effect for her audiences. Galloway, a lesbian, often travels and works with the love of her life, Donna Marie.

In June of 2009, prior to the implant surgery and even prior to the video above where she talks of considering it, Terry Galloway was published. Her aptly titled book, Mean Little deaf Queer: A Memoir, is quite the interesting read. Nothing in print of, of course, can be nearly as enthralling as the live author, but this comes very, very close.

Her book takes the reader through her life’s journey in about 248 packed pages of insight and humor. It’s a fascinating read. I look forward to the sequel and hearing – no pun intended – more.