Leigh Bolen, Robin Greig, and Ian Greig cheer as Tristan Moody works the crowd before entering the ring during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Tristan Moody flips onto Aaron Berry during the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Julez Bradley flips his hair during his introduction at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Elizabeth Nanosh looks on as Joey Iler shakes hands with Nathan Nanosh at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. Iler has been a part of the Heart Inclusive Arts program since it started over ten years ago. Paul Bloss and Roxanne Bloss laugh during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Merchandise is sold at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Jonathan Moody yells while being pushed against the ropes at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Raylen Albey is pinned by Jonathan Moody at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Sierra Garland, executive director of HEART SC, welcomes people to the second-annual Disability Pride event at Beyond Distilling Company, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in North Charleston. HEART provides visual arts, music, and performing arts mentorships and community engagement for adults with disabilities. Stickers for the second-annual Disability Pride event are set up by HEART SC at Beyond Distilling Company, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in North Charleston. HEART provides visual arts, music, and performing arts mentorships and community engagement for adults with disabilities.
Leigh Bolen, Robin Greig, and Ian Greig cheer as Tristan Moody works the crowd before entering the ring during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Julez Bradley flips his hair during his introduction at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Jonathan Moody yells while being pushed against the ropes at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Raylen Albey is pinned by Jonathan Moody at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Cheers filled the echoey warehouse of Striped Pig Distillery in North Charleston as a lively crowd spurred on their favorite professional wrestlers entering the ring at the highly anticipated CULT Classic show. Donations and merchandise sales from the event hosted by CULT Inclusive Wrestling on July 20 benefited
HEART Inclusive Arts Community , a local nonprofit that offers visual and performing arts mentorships for adults with disabilities. It’s a cause close to CULT Inclusive founder Chris Abshear’s heart, as someone with ADHD and who is on the autism spectrum.
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Abshear started the group as a welcoming space for wrestling talent and fans of all backgrounds. A professional wrestler himself, Abshear said the wrestling world can be "cliquey." He wanted to create something where everyone was included. As the classic began, a lineup of wrestlers from around the state and beyond took to the stage, showing off inside the ring.
Tristan Moody flips onto Aaron Berry during the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. The crowd cheered as wrestlers were flipped onto the mat and pushed against the ropes. Another wave of excitement took over as "Big Sandy Cool" Sandson rode into the venue on a motorcycle. The main event was an anything-goes bout between "Mad Dog" Josh Powers and Paul Lasher, featuring Powers’ signature move that involves shoving his opponent through a prop wooden door. "People absolutely love the door," Powers said with a grin. It’s loud. It’s proud. It’s flashy. That’s just the way the crowd likes it. And it’s for everyone. Abshear organized the first CULT Inclusive promotion last year for
Disability Pride Month to raise money for HEART and connect professional wrestling to the many wrestling fans who are part of the program. Celebrated throughout July, Disability Pride is a chance to bring visibility to the disabled community and celebrate their accomplishments, successes and joy. The month was officially recognized by Charleston in 2021 and North Charleston in 2022.
Elizabeth Nanosh looks on as Joey Iler shakes hands with Nathan Nanosh at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. Iler has been a part of the Heart Inclusive Arts program since it started over ten years ago. It commemorates the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that outlawed discrimination based on disability and brought accommodation requirements into the workplace. This marks the third year that Disability Pride Month has been celebrated in the Lowcountry. A series of events, shows and markets held each weekend this month culminate on July 26 in a Finale Celebration at Holy City Brewing.
The celebration highlights spaces designed specifically for members of the disabled community, so they feel comfortable and welcome, and where their needs are considered from the get-go, not after the fact.
Creating inclusive spaces
CULT shows, like the CULT Classic, are completely inclusive. Other independent wrestling shows focus on bringing in loads of people and selling tickets, Abshear said, jamming as many fans as they can into the front row. For shows Abshear puts on, he wants to make sure fans are comfortable and that their needs are met. "With these kinds of shows, people are going to be up on their feet, they're going to get ruckus. We want them to be loud. We want them to be engaged. We want them to be entertained. But at the same time, we have to take into consideration that not everybody can do that," Abshear said. Abshear hopes the establishment of CULT Inclusive Wrestling and its welcoming foundation can have a positive impact on the greater wrestling culture, where he says the "good ol’ boys club" culture is still strong. "Be the change you want to see in wrestling," Abshear said. "I saw that there was something I didn't like in the wrestling industry so I am doing what I can." The effort has resulted in a positive place for both talent and fans.
Paul Bloss and Roxanne Bloss laugh during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. "We all love wrestling and this is an opportunity for us to actually do something tangible, to really make a difference, and to hopefully help people," said Josh Murphy, who performs as "Mad Dog" Josh Powers. The CULT Classic was a partnership with HEART Inclusive Arts Community, a nonprofit that offers arts mentorships for adults with disabilities. They call themselves "Heartists." Heartist Eliza Kerrison is a big wrestling fan and got the chance to be a bell ringer at the CULT Classic. She was eager to watch the action at the show and catch her favorite wrestler, Airica Demia, in the ring. Sierra Garland, HEART executive director, said the wrestling show was a rare chance to bring the Heartists to a show built with them in mind. "To be able to bring a live show to them is incredible, let alone a live show that represents them as well," Garland said. "For it to be built specifically for them, it's a really cool and really unique opportunity for us."
Sierra Garland, executive director of HEART SC, welcomes people to the second-annual Disability Pride event at Beyond Distilling Company, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in North Charleston. HEART provides visual arts, music, and performing arts mentorships and community engagement for adults with disabilities. Fighting for accessibility
When the excitement of high-energy wrestling settles, and Disability Pride Month concludes, the fight for accessibility and inclusivity continues. Charleston, beloved for its historic charm, lacks
accessible infrastructure . Sidewalks will end abruptly or have no curb cut, parking lots lack ADA-accessible spots, old buildings can’t accommodate wide mobility aids, and sometimes even new homes aren’t built with wheelchairs in mind. City buildings need to be retrofitted with lightweight doors with automatic door openers.
These are the issues that Charleston’s Commission on Disability Issues takes on. The commission is a resident-staffed board that advises city officials on how to keep the city ADA-compliant, said Janet Schumacher, the city’s ADA-compliance officer. "The city knows how to be compliant, but it's a big city, and it's been here for a long time, and so there are things, of course, that get missed," Schumacher said. Charleston resident
Marka Danielle Rodgers has spent years on the commission, bringing awareness to the city’s accessibility issues. She strives to bring more visibility and equal opportunity to the disabled community. Rodgers is a "purple person," she said, blissfully describing her love for the color. The violet motif is carried throughout the clothes she wears, the accents on her wheelchair, even the dyed ears of the small white dog that snoozes in her lap. Rodgers, 67, is a lifelong dancer and taught the art for roughly 50 years. Two separate spinal cord injuries, one on the job as a firefighter in 1994 and another from a car accident in 2012, left her unable to walk. She still teaches ballet, modern dance and yoga, but it’s been harder. Despite having a rich background of knowledge and experience, she’s had to prove herself worthy to new teachers, she said.
Merchandise is sold at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Rodgers is not hesitant to speak up about unfair treatment, either. There have been times she’s had to fight for ADA-accessible parking spots. She’s sat outside inaccessible restaurants, offering ways to improve the experience for disabled customers. If she can’t reach something or hasn’t been acknowledged, she speaks up. "The more people that do that, the more opportunities that we will have," Rodgers said. "I'm thrilled that disability pride is a thing. I'm very, very sad that we need any kind of pride. Why can't people be proud every day?"
Dealing with stereotypes, misconceptions
There’s a high chance that at some point in our lives, many of us will become a part of the disabled community. Jayne Mattingly, a disability advocate and author, offered this idea matter-of-factly while in her home in West Ashley. Roughly
29 percent of Americans are disabled in some shape or form, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A disability is considered any condition, physical or mental, that makes it difficult for a person to do certain activities or participate in the world around them.
Raven McKevlin (left) and Stephanie Reed sign their names on a wall for the second annual Disability Pride event at Beyond Distilling Co., July 6, 2024, in North Charleston. Mattingly, 33, described herself as newly disabled, having only needed a wheelchair for the last six years. She was taking a barre class — a ballet-style exercise class — when she briefly lost her sight. Then, a host of other issues set in. "I got really, really sick, just so much pain and a bunch of neurological symptoms," Mattingly said. She recalled being dismissed by doctors and emergency rooms before eventually being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that required multiple brain and spine surgeries. Mattingly also has an autoimmune disease, a spinal cord injury and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disorder that targets the connective tissues in the body.
Today, Mattingly uses a wheelchair full time. She’s had to adjust her lifestyle, she was an avid dancer and hiker before her diagnosis. She was a doer, your classic "overachieving 20-something," she said. She’s still a doer. It just looks different. Mattingly’s book, "
Body Grief ," is set to release in March, a look at how to cope with the ways bodies change. She also leads The AND Initiative, a nonprofit that gifts mobility aids to those with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses. When talking about the importance of Disability Pride Month, she brought up the concept of ableism, or prejudice against people with disabilities. It’s something she comes across often. Sometimes it’s intentional, she said, like the time an Uber driver arrived to pick her up and canceled the trip upon seeing her wheelchair and service dog. Other times it’s not as overt. "I've been like, 'Oh, I'm the one with the wheelchair next door,' and they’ll go 'I'm sorry,'" Mattingly said. "You don’t have to be sorry. The intent is not bad at all. My wheelchair gives me so much freedom."
Stickers for the second-annual Disability Pride event are set up by HEART SC at Beyond Distilling Company, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in North Charleston. HEART provides visual arts, music, and performing arts mentorships and community engagement for adults with disabilities. Her identity will always be entwined with her disability. That’s what makes having Disability Pride Month so important, she said. It helps people be comfortable in their own skin and abilities. "My disability is who I am. I can't separate myself from it," she said. "I think the more I talk about how proud I am of that people will start to understand that this isn't a victimization. This is just me allowing people to be proud of who they are so that when they get older, they don't have to fight it."
Finding joy
The struggles — accessibility, fighting stereotypes — are as important as the victories in the community, Mattingly said. For her, joy is being seen. It’s having friends who accommodate her without needing to ask, friends who have done the heavy lifting of finding accessible transportation and making her feel comfortable. "Being able to participate in life where someone is able to just see me and it doesn't have to be a fuss," Mattingly said. "If you find your crew and your people that make it work for you, it is the most comforting feeling ever because you don’t feel like that extra burden." For the crowd that gathered at the CULT Classic on July 20, joy was shouting at the talent from the sidelines in a space that was wholly built for them. It was having a night to be centered around their needs. And of course, it was watching wrestlers slam each other in the ring, in sweaty, high-flying, good fun. "Big Sandy Cool" Sandson rides in on a motorcycle at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Julez Bradley flips his hair during his introduction at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Elizabeth Nanosh looks on as Joey Iler shakes hands with Nathan Nanosh at the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. Iler has been a part of the Heart Inclusive Arts program since it started over ten years ago. Tristan Moody rests after being tossed from the ring during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Audience members participate during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Tristan Moody flips onto Aaron Berry during the CULT Classic Wrestling show at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Dre the Goat walks out at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Paul Bloss and Roxanne Bloss laugh during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Jonathan Moody yells while being pushed against the ropes at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Leigh Bolen, Robin Greig, and Ian Greig cheer as Tristan Moody works the crowd before entering the ring during the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Raylen Albey is pinned by Jonathan Moody at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Merchandise is sold at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. Raylen Albey watches at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month. The crowd watches wrestlers at the CULT Classic Wrestling show held at Striped Pig Distillery, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in North Charleston. CULT Inclusive Wrestling and Heart Inclusive Arts SC hosted the event as a part of Disability Pride Month.
