Meet the LGBTQ+ disabililty activist who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro

From the moment he took his first breath, Spencer West has been defying others’ expectations of him, including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

West was born with sacral agenesis, a congenital disorder that affects the development of the lower spine, and his legs were amputated when he was 5 years old. Though his family and doctors tried to help him walk “normally” with prosthetics, West quickly learned that walking on his hands was easier. It was then he also learned the lesson that would stick with him until adulthood, and the one he’s based his upcoming autobiography on — that it’s simply easier to be yourself than to do what others think you should.

Author and disability activist Spencer WestRyan Bolton

“There are a lot of expectations that the world puts on us, specifically as queer people and disabled people,” West says. “Over the last 45 years of my life, I’ve discovered the things that helped me break out of all these expectations. From the time that I was born, people wanted me to walk. The doctor wanted me to use prosthetics, but those didn’t work for me. I had this expectation that I should marry a woman and have a family, and that wasn’t for me either. I’m a gay man, and [my partner and I] chose not to have children.”

Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself tells the story of West’s life, from the bullying he experienced growing up to his career as an LGBTQ+ and disability activist with over 4 million followers across platforms. Whether in the dating scene or atop Africa’s tallest mountain, West hasn’t let labels define him, though that doesn’t mean they haven’t come without challenges.

West has never thought his disability was out of the ordinary — after all, it’s what he’s used to. Instead, it was other people’s reactions that have made him feel othered. The problem persists even in LGBTQ+ spaces, known for their progressiveness and acceptance.

Spencer West at a speaking engagementcourtesy Spencer West

“More often than not, queer spaces are not accessible,” West says. “I often feel like I’m kept out on purpose, or there will be accessibility, but you have to go in the alley or in the back. It doesn’t feel great to know that’s what you’re worth and how you’re seen.”

“I found dating challenging too until I met my partner. I never used to think that my disability was an issue, so I didn’t bring it up,” he continues.“Then, as I started dating and would disclose I have a disability, people would be so upset that I didn’t tell them that before. It often felt like a second coming-out.”

West credits his loved ones with getting him through some of life’s darker moments. The same support system would help him climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 2012, embarking together on an eight-day journey that raised over $750,000 for sustainable water in East Africa. West trained for several months in order to achieve the feat, doing exercises in his shoulders, elbows, and wrists. He initially intended to do about 50 percent of the climb in his wheelchair and 50 percent by hand, but estimates now that he ended up doing over 80 percent on his hands.

West and fellow climbers celebrate reaching the peak of Mount Kilimanjarocourtesy Spencer West

“We didn’t know what the climb was going to be like, so we wanted to take care of everything and give us our best chance to get to the top,” West says. “It’s not necessarily a technical climb, Kilimanjaro, but it’s a lot on your body.”

West believes that everyone, regardless of ability or sexuality, will be able to take something away from his autobiography, which releases May 12. He hopes readers will “stop listening to expectations and start listening to our heart and what feels right for us,” as he knows from experience that once we do, “our lives change.”

“This book is all the lessons that I’ve learned over the last 45 years of how I broke free of those expectations that other people put on me, to live the life that I wanted and to follow my heart,” West says. “Because what I found is every time that I did something that felt right to me, it worked.”

This article is part of The Advocate’s Mar-Apr 2026 print issue, now on newsstands. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.