SEXUALITY The sexuality of women with disabilities is an area that continues to receive a considerable amount of attention. While much of the writing in this area continues to reflect on the struggles of women with disabilities to be seen as sexual beings, there are also newer writings about sex education and therapies, specific problems women with disabilities have faced in terms of their sexuality, and a large amount of sources now published concerning lesbians and bisexual women with disabilities.
America Undercover: The Execution of Wanda Jean [Film]. (2003). New York: HBO Documentaries.
This documentary about the execution of an African-American lesbian who killed her lover explores the humanity of both the death penalty and the label of mental retardation. The claim by Wanda Jean’s lawyers that she is mentally retarded and therefore unfit to be executed raises all aspects of this ongoing discussion. This personal look at Death Row, the power of labels, and the finality of the death penalty is unforgettable.
Axtell, S. (1999). Disability and chronic illness identity: Interviews with lesbians and bisexual women and their partners. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer & Dis/Abled [Feature issue].
Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 4(1), 53-72. Retrieved February 8, 2005 from
http://www.glma.org/programs/
lhf/reports/AxtellS_Disability.pdf.
Disability rights activists and cultural workers are articulating disability identity and culture. Through interviews with lesbians and bisexual women with disabilities or chronic illnesses and their partners, the present study examined disability/chronic illness identity on the level of individual; couple, and community. Participants shared differing perspectives about how disability/chronic illness identity relates to other aspects of identity, and about whether disability/chronic illness identity is fluid or constant. They described several challenges they have encountered in developing disability/chronic illness identity. Couples talked about developing boundaries and balance in their relationships, and about how disability or chronic illness has strengthened their relationships. A number of participants spoke about identity as intimately linked with community. Implications for community building are discussed.
Beckett, C. (2004, May). Crossing the border: Locating heterosexuality as a boundary for lesbian and disabled women. In S. Jackson (Ed.), Special Issue: Feminist Challenges: Crossing Boundaries.
Journal of International Women’s Studies, 5(3), 44-52. Retrieved January 3, 2005 from
http://www.bridgew.edu/SoAS/jiws/May04/Beckett.pdf.
This article draws on the author’s personal experience, and on the separate experiences of “leaving heterosexuality” and of “being disabled.” She has attempted to find common ground for action between these two groups by interrogating the experience of being sexual. She argues that heterosexuality functions as a social matrix, with exclusionary practices that operate in similar ways towards both groups. Mechanisms may be different, but the experience of exclusion is similar, and is based on similar practices. This article focuses on specific points in the exclusionary process, and illustrates similarities.
Block, P. (2000, November). Sexuality, fertility, and danger: Twentieth-century images of women with cognitive disabilities. In R. Shuttleworth, L. Mona, & D. Kasnitz (Eds.), Disability, sexuality, and culture: Societal and experiential perspectives on multiple identities, Part II [Special Issue].
Sexuality and Disability, 18(4), 239-254.
Article examining attitudes toward the sexuality of women with mental retardation, based on an analysis of five 20th century cases (four actual and one fictional): the sterilization of Carrie Buck (1927); the institutionalization of "Deborah Kallikak" (starting in the late 19th century); the Glen Ridge sexual assault case (1989); the sterilization of Cindy Wasiek (1994); and the movie "The Other Sister" (1998). The author finds in the four real-life stories a history of segregation, forced sterilization, rape, and control by others. The fictional movie, by treating its character with mental retardation as a Cinderella figure, presents an illusory process of symbolic healing in which the lived experiences of real women are justified, trivialized, and forgotten.
Brownworth, V. A., & Raffo, S. (1999).
Restricted access: Lesbians on disability. Seattle: Seal Press.
In looking at the intersection of sexuality and disability, this nonfiction anthology challenges readers to confront how America deals with difference. Writers represent a broad range of disabilities (chronic fatigue syndrome, manic depression, and cerebral palsy) as well as a variety of racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds.
Cahn, S. (2003, Spring). Come out, come out whatever you've got! Or, still crazy after all these years.
Feminist Studies, 29(1), 7-18.
Cahn relates her experience in living as a lesbian and describes how she struggled to cope with her chronic fatigue syndrome. Many people see homosexuals as disgusting, sinful, tolerable, abominable, and crazy. Although their is no proof that homosexuality and mental disorder is correlated, many psychiatrists still believe that several mental diseases are caused by homosexuality, and are finding reparative therapies and reconversion programs to treat homosexuals.
Cammaert, L. P. (1984). New sex therapies: Policy and practice. In L. E. Walker (Ed.),
Women and mental health policy [Sage Yearbooks In Women's Policy Studies] (pp. 247 266). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
This chapter addresses issues of female sexuality and describes the dramatic changes in attitudes and norms around female sexuality and sexual behavior which have occurred during this century. The author reviews the literature on female sexuality, female "sexual dysfunctioning," and effectiveness of sex therapy for women. Although researchers and sex therapists have begun to accept that women's sexual needs and desires are just as important as men's, there is still a danger for inappropriate treatment, based on stereotypical and outdated ideas of women's sexuality. The author therefore advises women, who seek sex therapy, to be careful when they select a sex therapist. The chapter concludes with a call for more research on female sexuality and claims that the little that is known is mostly based on samples of white, well-educated, middle-class, heterosexual American women. Our understanding of female sexualit y must be based on the experiences of all women: women of color, single women, lesbian women, poor women, celibate women, and women with a variety of educational levels, as well as women of all ages.
Christian, L., Stinson, J., & Dotson, L. A. (2001). Staff values regarding the sexual expression of women with developmental disabilities.
Sexuality and Disability, 19(4), 283-291.
Women with developmental disabilities face a myriad of barriers that prevent sexual expression. These include, but are not limited to, inadequate access to health care, limited choices regarding reproductive issues, and lack of sex education. The values and beliefs of support staff also represent potential barriers. A survey was conducted to determine the attitudes and knowledge of support staff at an agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities. Findings indicated that a majority of staff felt comfortable supporting women in expressing their sexuality, but few were trained to do so. Results also suggested that staff were guided more by their personal views than by agency policy.
Clare, E. (1999).
Exile & pride: Disability, queerness, and liberation. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
“Gender reaches into disability; disability wraps around class; class strains against abuse; abuse snarls into sexuality; sexuality folds on top of race…everything finally piling into a single human body. To write about any aspect of identity, any aspect of the body, means writing about this entire maze. This I know, and yet the question remains: where to start?” (p. 123)
Eli Clare investigates disability, class, queerness, child sexual abuse, and conflicting political and environmental awarenesses, using the metaphors of landscape and her own experience. She recalls and brings to life images of the mountains and forests, rivers and oceans of her childhood in rural Oregon, her body, and her many homes, in these musings on home, exile, politics and experience.
Clare, E. (2001). Stolen bodies, reclaimed bodies: Disability and queerness.
Public Culture, 13(3), 359-365.
“I want to write about the body, not as a metaphor, symbol, or representation, but simply as the body. To write about my body, our bodies, in all their messy, complicated realities. I want words shaped by my slurring tongue, shaky hands, almost steady breath; words shaped by the fact that I am a walkie--someone for whom a flight of stairs without an accompanying elevator poses no problem--and by the reality that many of the people I encounter in my daily life assume I am "mentally retarded." Words shaped by how my body--and I certainly mean to include the mind as part of the body--moves through the world.”
Clements, J., Clare, I., & Ezelle L.A. (1995, December). Real men, real women, real lives? Gender issues in learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.
Disability & Society, 10(4), 425-436.
This article seeks to define gender issues and explores the significance of these issues for challenging behaviour in the field of learning disability. It is argued that lack of awareness about these issues contributes to the development of challenging behaviour and to difficulties in identifying the needs expressed through these behaviours, whatever their origin. Specific areas examined include models of residential provision for adults, prioritisation of service activities, attribution processes (needs identification), and the sexuality of people with learning disabilities. In each area issues are raised and the implications for service practice defined.
Coley, L., & Marler, R. (1987). Responding to the sexuality of people with mental handicap. In G. Horobin (Ed.),
Sex, gender and care work [Research Highlights in Social Work, Vol. 15] (pp. 66-81). New York: St. Martin's Press.
This chapter states that the sexuality of people with mental handicap has been largely ignored and in the few instances where it has been considered, the response has been restrictive and over-protective. (The book is British and uses the word mental handicap for mental retardation). The authors trace some of the restrictive attitudes to the way human services are operated. For example, many group homes are run by Christian groups who insist that residents live up to what is see as "Christian principles of high morals and values."
The authors state clearly that people with mental retardation have the same rights and needs to enjoy their sexuality as anyone else, and should have the same right to marry or cohabit as anyone else.
Although the chapter does not direct much attention to issues of specific concern to women with disabilities it raises issues of great concern to them, such as forced sterilization and forced abortion.
Corbett, C. J. (2002, Fall). Sex, disability and motherhood: Access to sexuality for disabled mothers.
Disability Studies Quarterly, 22(4), 81-101. Retrieved March 2, 2005 from
http://www.dsq-sds.org/_articles_pdf/2002/Fall/dsq_2002_Fall_08.pdf.
There is limited research into the sexual lives of mothers, particularly mothers with disabilities. This article examines the barriers to sexuality facing mothers with disabilities. These barriers include: stereotypes that disabled mothers are not sexual, lack of resources for essential aspects of parenting, and difficulty in creating time for personal and private adult activities. Recommendations are presented based on the experiences of disabled mothers.
Corbett, K. (1987, Summer). The role of sexuality and sex equity in the education of disabled women.
Peabody Journal of Education, 64(4), 198-212.
This article tackles the broad issue of the intersection of sexuality, disability, and sex education. Myths and stereotypes about the nonsexual disabled woman are examined, as are issues of identity, dating and other loving relationships, sexual abuse, sex education, sexuality related services, and inclusion of disabled students in curriculum and classroom.
Crawford, D., & Ostrove, J. M. (2003, March). Representations of disability and the interpersonal relationships of women with disabilities. In M. E. Banks, & E. Kaschak (Eds.), Women with visible and invisible disabilities: multiple intersections, multiple issues, multiple therapies, Part II [Special issue].
Women & Therapy, 26(3/4), 179-194.
This paper explores the relation between societal representations of disability and the intimate relationships of women with disabilities. The study confirmed that views of people with disabilities as incompetent and helpless, intellectually challenged, super-capable and asexual, continue to influence the lives of women with disabilities. Most of these stereotypes were encountered by women with different types of disabilities, suggesting that these categories are fairly universally applied. With respect to intimate relationships, the women had had a wide variety of both positive and negative experiences. A common disability experience seemed to have an important positive influence on sustaining close intimate relationships. Relatedly, the lack of this similarity was, in many cases, perceived as a major impediment to relationships with the able-bodied.
Damsky, L. (Ed.). (2000).
Sex & single girls: Straight and queer women on sexuality [Live Girls]. Seattle: Seal Press.
“Although they've grown up in a culture saturated with sex, women in their twenties and thirties have no sex book of their own.
Sex and Single Girls fills this void with personal accounts of pleasure, fear, desire, risk, survival, heartbreak, and intimacy--everything that comes with exploring one's sexuality. Well-known writers and feminists treat topics ranging from online sex to abortion, from bisexuality to interracial relationships, creating a complex portrait of women's sexual experiences, activities, and preferences…. Through their wise, humorous, and personally empowering writings, this collection explores women's sexual lives in all their passion and authenticity.”
Of interest is a chapter by Diana Courvant, co-founder of The Transfeminism Anthology Project & The Survivor Project, about the social conception of disability and sexuality.
Eerikäinen, H. (2001). Love your prosthesis like yourself: “Sex”, text and the body in cyber discourse. In A. Koivunen & S. Paasonen (Eds.),
Conference proceedings for Affective encounters: Rethinking embodiment in feminist media studies. University of Turku, School of Art, Literature and Music, Media Studies. Retrieved June 6, 2005 from
http://www.hum.utu.fi/mediatutkimus/affective/eerikainen.pdf.
“Why from an artificial limb trying to substitute for a bodily loss has become a technological extension of the body allegedly augmenting and enhancing not only the range of abilities of the subject, but most of all, post-corporeal pleasures of the “postmodern body,” a body enveloped by computer screens and networks all calling for immediate interfacing and interaction and promising an enjoyable experience of indulging oneself in a total immersion…? How is it that a bitter necessity has turned into an object of utopian dreams, even a vehicle of libidinal fantasies? Why is the prosthesis seductive? Why is the prosthetic body “sexy”?
Fiduccia, B. F. W. (1999). Sexual imagery of physically disabled women: Erotic? Perverse? Sexist? In S. Welner (Ed.), Women’s health and gynecological care [Special issue].
Sexuality and Disability, 17(3), 277-282.
This brief think piece focuses on still photographs of physically disabled women who have involved themselves in erotica and pornography as sex workers, entrepreneurs, and relationship seekers. For future research, it offers preliminary questions from a disabled feminist pro-sex analysis of what some define as erotic, but others term fetishistic, perverse, sexist, and even exploitative.
Fine, M. (1988). Sexuality, schooling, and adolescent females: The missing discourse of desire.
Harvard Educational Review, 58(1), 29 53.
This article examines diverse perspectives on adolescent sexuality as well as current sex-education practices. The article is based on a thorough review of the literature, as well as the author's research on sex-education in public schools, and is informed by a study of numerous current sex-education curricula. The author identifies the three prevalent discourses of female sexuality inside public schools as being, (1) sexuality as violence, (2) sexuality as victimization, and (3) sexuality as individual morality. As a result, young women are educated primarily as the potential victim of male sexuality, they are not seen as sexual agents, and young women continue to be taught to fear and defend in isolation from exploring desires. The naming of desire, pleasure, or sexual entitlement, particularly for females, barely exists in the formal agenda of public schooling on sexuality. As an alternative to the prevailing discourses of female sexuality, the author presents a case for the discourse of desire, which would acknowledge female sexual desire and pleasure. Although this article does not mention women with disabilities, it is very informing for anyone interested in female sexuality and sex-education, and provides an excellent framework to think about female sexuality and sex-education for all women, including women with disabilities.
Finger, A. (1992, July). Forbidden fruit.
New Internationalist, Issue #233. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from
http://www.newint.org/issue233/fruit.htm.
Why shouldn’t disabled people have sex or become parents? Anne Finger examines one of the deepest and most damaging prejudices. She also writes from her experiences as a disabled woman.
Foote, J. E. (2003). Sex, sexuality, and fertility for women with spinal cord injury.
Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 8(3), 20-25.
Article reviews literature regarding the changes in sex, sexuality, and fertility in women with spinal cord injury (SCI). Concerns specific to SCI and treatment options are discussed.
Gillespie-Sells, K., Hill, M., & Robbins, B. (1998).
She dances to different drums: Research into disabled women's sexuality. London: King's Fund.
“Disabled women are asexual and have no interest in forging sexual and personal relationships”--this myth is dispelled by the compelling stories of black, lesbian and heterosexual women collected by disabled women researchers in the first major piece of research on disabled women’s sexuality undertaken in the UK. The book attempts to break down the barriers of misunderstanding and prejudice that so often surround this controversial subject, and highlights key recommendations to take the research forward and improve the lives of disabled women everywhere.”
Hall, K. Q. (2005, Winter). Queerness, disability, and
The Vagina Monologues.
Hypatia, 20(1), 99-119.
This paper questions the connection between vaginas and feminist embodiment in
The Vagina Monologues and considers how the text both challenges and reinscribes (albeit unintentionally) systems of patriarchy, compulsory heterosexuality, and ableism. I use the Intersex Society of North America's critique as a point of departure and argue that the text offers theorists and activists in feminist, queer, and disability communities an opportunity to understand how power operates in both dominant discourses that degrade vaginas and strategies of feminist resistance that seek to reclaim and celebrate them.
Hershey, L. (2000).
Women with disabilities: Health, reproduction, and sexuality. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from
http://www.cripcommentary.com/women.html.
"Women with disabilities share the same health, reproductive, and sexual needs and concerns as other women. In addition, disabled women face additional problems and raise particular issues related to health, reproduction and sexuality. Around the world, women with disabilities are raising their expectations for self-determination and quality of life. More and more, disabled women are demanding the right to live independently, integrated into their communities, setting their own goals and making their own choices. In so doing, they challenge their societies to be more accessible, supportive, and inclusive."
This article has been published in the
International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge published by Routledge Press.
Kafer, A. (2003, Autumn). Compulsory bodies: Reflections on heterosexuality and able-bodiedness.
Journal of Women’s History, 15(3), 77-89.
“I raise the issue of identity and its attendant problems because the kinds of questions it sparks—Who identifies as disabled? As nondisabled? How and why do they do so? Who is excluded from such an identification?—help illuminate the compulsory nature of able-bodiedness…. How do the meanings of able-bodiedness, and of disability, both create and result from a system of compulsion? In what ways can we understand able-bodiedness as compulsory?”
Keywood, K. (2001). “I’d rather keep him chaste.” Retelling the story of sterilisation, learning disability and (non)sexed embodiment.
Feminist Legal Studies, 9(2), 185-194.
“This note examines two recent judgments of the English Court of Appeal…concerning the sterilisation of a woman and a man with learning disabilities. The cases are significant for health care lawyers in that they effect a reworking of the common law doctrine of necessity, which serves as the legal justification for providing medical treatment to adults lacking capacity to give consent. The cases are also significant for feminist scholars engaged in the project of `sexing' the subjects of legal discourse… The judgments…consistent with earlier sterilisation cases, fail to offer a conception of learning disabled subjects as `sexed'.”
Klebine, P. (2004, April).
Sexuality for women with spinal cord injury [InfoSheet #21]. Birmingham, AL: UAB Medical RRTC on Secondary Conditions of SCI
UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center. Retrieved December 22, 2004 from
http://www.spinalcord.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=51288&site=1021&return=21479.
This InfoSheet discusses the changes in sexual function, sexual adjustment, issues with partners, areas of concern, arousal, sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, and other issues of sexuality after injury. This InfoSheet was initially written in June, 2002 and updated in April, 2004.
Kralik, D., Koch, T., & Eastwood, S. (2003). The salience of the body: Transition in sexual self-identity for women living with multiple sclerosis.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 42(1), 11–20. Retrieved August 12, 2005 from
http://www.msaustralia.org.au/research/jan_2505.pdf.
Aim. The purpose of this paper is to outline understandings about the construction of sexuality and the impact of a changing body for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). We suggest that the process of transition towards incorporating the experience of chronic illness into one’s life is influenced by the (re)construction of self-identity.
Design and methods. A participatory action process guided the research. The women joined the authors for five group sessions that totalled 15 hours of contact time. In addition, we offered women the opportunity for one-to-one interviews at home. Nine women volunteered to participate. This allowed us to gain additional in-depth data about individual experiences. The interpretive framework was guided by the self-identity literature. When reading the transcripts we questioned: What is going on here? What does this say about the construction of self? What does this say about the construction of identity? What influence does the body have in the construction of self-identity? Analysis was collaborative (with the women) and the resultant emerging construction of sexuality is shared in this paper. Data generated during one-to-one interviews are privileged and we include two accounts from women who live with MS. The women’s stories focus on sexuality, however, within this sexual context, we observed shifts in self-identity which we contend may shape the illness transition experience.
Findings. The rationale for privileging only two accounts is to expand understanding of Ordinariness and Extraordinariness with particular focus on the salience of the body in the ‘sexual’ lives of the women. Self-identity was shaped by how they felt about themselves as sexual beings, how they experienced their body, how they felt about sexual activities and by the way others reacted to them. Importantly, we view the women’s sense of self, identity and the relationship to the body and find that shifts in self identity shape the woman’s transition towards Ordinariness.
Conclusions. This exploration of illness experiences is a reminder that our bodies are vehicles for our sense of self and identity. Cultural, educational, social, religious and family contexts all impact on women’s capacity to shape the consequences of illness and the choices available to them. Facilitating women towards an awareness of the choices available in order to sustain or reclaim self may in turn expedite transition towards Ordinariness so that illness may become a part of their life.
Llewelyn, K. (Ed.). (1999, October).
Our relationships: A guide for people with arthritis. London: Arthritis Care. Retrieved March 2, 2005 from
http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/downloads/pdfs/ourrelationoursex.pdf.
“
Our Relationships, Our Sexuality: A Guide for People with Arthritis explores issues surrounding relationships, sexuality and arthritis… The booklet includes contributions from a range of men and women all of whom have one thing in common–arthritis. Their experiences show the funny, the serious, the truthful side to relationships.”
Maxfield, G. (n.d.).
The novel approach to sexuality and disability. Reno, NV: Northern Nevada Amputee Support Group.
The Novel Approach is exactly that, a unique novel about sex and disability covering the adventures of two beguiling handicapped women. Disgruntled with society's fumbling and misconceptions, they undertake interviews among their own kind, exploring the little known world they inhabit. This is an insiders' look at sexuality outside it's usual form. The book is entertaining, touching, often funny, highly factual, tactfully presented and rich in lore of life before, during and after traumatic experiences. Excerpts available online:
http://www.powernet.net/~nnasg/book.htm.
McCarthy, M. (1999).
Sexuality and women with learning disabilities. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Ltd.
In this study of women with mild and moderate learning disabilities, Michelle McCarthy investigates how these women experience their sexual lives, basing her research on interviews with the women themselves. She argues the importance of informing the work of those responsible at research, practice and policy levels with the voices of people with learning disabilities. In the interviews, women talk openly about what form their sexual activity takes and what it means for them, the circumstances in which it occurs, and the pleasures (or lack thereof) associated with it. These interviews directly shape the policy and practice recommendations the author makes.
Michelle McCarthy's findings suggest that women with learning disabilities commonly find themselves engaged in sexual activity which is not to their liking and not of their choosing. A high level of sexual abuse was also reported. The author discusses this in relation to the cultural forces which have influenced Western perceptions of sexuality, feminism and theories and prejudices about learning disabilities. She also studied the impact of institutional and community settings on the sexuality of women with learning disabilities. In Sexuality and Women with Learning Disabilities, McCarthy makes recommendations for policy and practice which will protect this vulnerable group, and advises on education, support and seeking justice for abused women.
McDermott, S., Martin, M., Weinrich, M., Kelly, M. (1999). Program evaluation of a sex education curriculum for women with mental retardation.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 20(2), 93-106.
Study examining the effectiveness of a sex education and sexual health promotion program for women with mental retardation (MR). Data were collected on prior knowledge and experience, instructional contacts, and outcomes for 252 women with MR who participated in the family planning program of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN). The study examined the relationships of social skills, hygiene practices, and prior sexual experience to sexual knowledge, as well as whether the number of family planning instructional sessions in which a woman participated was related to increases in her knowledge of sexuality, hygiene, and social skills.
McGee, D. (Director). (1993).
Toward intimacy: Women with disabilities [Film]. New York: Filmakers Library.
Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships. With candor, they each talk about the struggle for self esteem, the search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression.
Helen, in a wheelchair because of a rare bone disease, thought she might be too frail for a physical relationship. Her doctor assured her that she was perfectly able, and her relationship with her boyfriend blossomed. Gail, who has cerebral palsy, needed counseling to help her overcome her reserve. She now has developed a fulfilling relationship with Roger. Amethya, a lesbian who is severely hearing impaired, became active in a disabled women's network and met her lover there. Barbara, legally blind since birth, overcame the challenge of widowhood and single parenting to find another love.
This important film challenges the stereotypical notion that women with disabilities are asexual beings.
Meyer, B. (2002, December). Extraordinary stories: Disability, queerness and feminism.
NORA: Nordic Journal of Women's Studies, 10(3), 168-173.
In June 2002 the editors of NORA participated in three US-organized conferences on current gender research in Anglo-American contexts. These were, respectively, The First International Conference on Queerness & Disability at San Francisco State University, The Disability, Difference and Tolerance Conference in Oakland and the 23rd National Women’s Studies Association Conference in Las Vegas. The essay is an introduction to the emerging and intersecting interests of feminist research, queer and disability studies arising from the discussions and insights of these conferences.
Nisha. (n.d.).
Regulation of disabled women’s sexuality. Winnipeg, MB: DPI. Retrieved February 8, 2005 from
http://www.dpi.org/en/resources/topics/documents/BodyPolitics.doc.
"I began this essay by asking two of my colleagues, leaders in the disability movement in India, about their views on sexuality and disability. One response was, “You know better about the issues being faced by disabled persons here than to waste your time on sex obsessed Western thinking.” The other wondered, “(Disability) still remains a kicked off affair in the triangle of charity/welfare, medical rehabilitation and vocational training … when and how do we talk about sexuality?”
O’Toole, C. J. (2000, Fall). The view from below: Developing a knowledge base about an unknown population.
Sexuality and Disability, 18(3), 207-224.
This paper uses the experiences of disabled lesbians to explore the intersections between disability, race, and sexuality. In addition to looking at the connections in oppressions the paper celebrates the positive and joyful sexuality of disabled lesbians. While identity formation and management remains challenging, the barriers are being dealt with as disabled lesbians claim their wholeness. Visibility and invisibility in the disability and lesbian communities are discussed and critiques are aimed at the constructions of both lesbianism and disabled people.
O’Toole, C. J., & Brown, A. A. (2002, December). No reflection in the mirror: Challenges for disabled lesbians accessing mental health services.
Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(1), 35-49.
Lesbians with disabilities have atypical life experiences--they are virtually invisible within the mainstream culture. Both women with disabilities and lesbians experience societal, familial and economic pressures that directly impact their lives and the range of options available to them. When a lesbian is also a woman with a disability, the combination of these pressures has important mental health implications. This article explores the issues and barriers related to disabled lesbians accessing mental health services. Because no systematic research on the mental health needs and experiences of lesbians with disabilities exists, it is unknown how many of them are in need of, access, or are denied appropriate mental health services. The little research that exists on the mental health needs of women with disabilities has either excluded or ignored the particular experiences associated with lesbian identity. Likewise, lesbian mental health research has historically overlooked disabled women's identity and experiences. Shared experiences and other similarities, such as discriminatory attitudes in the health service system, social stigma, and self-devaluation, are discussed within the context of disabled lesbians' compounded risk for mental health problems. Service access and barriers, key therapeutic issues, and cultural competency are discussed as additional issues that emerge when addressing mental health services. We also examine how lesbians with disabilities have proactively networked, caring for each other through informal supports within their communities, and have creatively developed their own strategies and resources. The paper concludes with a discussion of new efforts toward gaining visibility, successful strategies for mental health practitioners in addressing issues and challenges associated with providing care to lesbians with disabilities, and recommendations for further research.
Parmar, P. (1992).
Double the trouble, twice the fun [Film]. New York: Women Make Movies.
A rare and lively examination of disability and homosexuality as it affects both women and men,
Double the Trouble, Twice the Fun, advocates for acceptance rather than pity for the participants in this video. Interviews with a wide range of disabled lesbian and gay people are intercut with dramatic recreations and performances. Made for Channel Four Television by Pratibha Parmar (
A Place of Rage,
Warrior Marks), this enlightening video dispels the myth that all disabled people are unhappy or have no sexual identity. It also looks at the difficulties of enduring prejudice as both a disabled and gay person.
Phenix, L. M. (1994).
Cancer in two voices [Film]. New York: Women Make Movies.
“I’m the first among our friends to have cancer... Many will see their future in the way I handle mine,” Barbara Rosenblum wrote after learning she had advanced breast cancer. For three years Barbara had yet to live, she and her partner, Sandra Butler, documented their lives with courage and frankness. This stunning film provides a unique view into the intimacy of a relationship in a time of crisis. The two women talk about their identity as Jewish women and as lesbians, and they speak openly about the difficult issues each is facing: anger, guilt, feelings about their bodies and changing sexuality, about death and loss. Never once losing either its balance or its fierce emotional integrity,
Cancer in Two Voices provides a practical example of dealing with death with sensitivity and a deep commitment to living.
Rousso, H. (Ed.). (2005, Spring). Dating, intimacy and sexuality [Feature issue].
The Women’s Center at Premier HealthCare Newsletter, 2(1). New York: The Women’s Center at Premier HealthCare.
“This Newsletter offers a range of information about sexuality and intimate relationships as well as a series of personal stories, all designed to promote sexual empowerment.” The Women’s Center provides health care for women with disabilities in the New York City area. To be added to the Newsletter mailing list, send an email to
Thewomenscenter@yai.org.
Rose, H., & Stahl, F. (Writers). (1998).
Dance me to my song [Film]. Hendon, South Australia: Vertigo Productions.
This Australian film and Cannes selection was written by and stars Heather Rose, a woman with cerebral palsy who uses a computer to communicate. The film features Rose’s exceptional acting and a powerful exploration of sexuality, friendship, and daily support issues. This is a strong film that deals with life issues and comes highly recommended. Disability is not demonized, defined as tragedy or deficiency, focused on as something to overcome, used to teach a lesson, or any of the other common misrepresentations in film. It is an important part, but clearly not the only part, of Rose’s character as she lives her life.
Samuels, E. J. (2003). My body, my closet: Invisible disability and the limits of coming-out discourse. In R. McRuer & A. L. Wilkerson (Eds.), Desiring disability: Queer theory meets disability studies [Feature issue].
GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 9(1-2), 233-255.
“…a discussion not only of analogies between queerness and disability but of the specifics of coming out in each context as a person whose bodily appearance does not immediately signal one's own sense of identity. In the first section of this essay I consider the complicated dynamics inherent in the analogizing of social identities, with specific reference to feminist, queer, and disability studies. In the second section I turn to the politics of visibility and invisibility, drawing on autobiographical narratives as well as social theory to explore constructions of coming out or passing in a number of social contexts. In the third section I further explore these issues through a focus on two `invisible' identities: lesbian-femme and nonvisible disability. Thus each section seeks to `queer' disability in order to develop new paradigms of identity, representation, and social interaction.”
Savulescu, J. (2002, October). Deaf lesbians, ‘designer disability,’ and the future of medicine.
British Medical Journal, 324(7367), 771-773.
A deaf lesbian couple in the United States have deliberately created a deaf child. Sharon Duchesneau and Candy McCullough used their own sperm donor, a deaf friend with five generations of deafness in his family. Like others in the deaf community, Duchesneau and McCullough don't see deafness as a disability. They see being deaf as defining their cultural identity and see signing as a sophisticated, unique form of communication
Shakespeare, T., Gillespie-Sells, K., & Davies, D. (1996).
The sexual politics of disability: Untold desires. London: Cassell Publications.
One of the authors of this British book is Kathy Gillespie-Sells, a lesbian with a disability. She also runs Regard, an organization and campaigning group for lesbians and gay men with disabilities. Regard’s email address is
regard@dircon.co.uk. Chapter 6, “ Double the Trouble?,” is about being gay or lesbian and disabled. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual accounts occur elsewhere in the book, but this chapter deals exclusively with their issues, including community access, prejudice against disability, choosing a living situation, and practical issues such as how one can meet people when he or she is accompanied by personal assistants.
This book is now available online via the Disability Archive UK at the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds. The web site for the archive is
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/.
Shoultz, B. (1998). Solidarity and support: Lesbians with and without disabilities as allies for each other.
Disability Studies Quarterly, 18(3), 190-197.
“This article is an attempt to explore ways in which support and solidarity between lesbians with and without disabilities is impeded and fostered. Emphasis will be placed on lesbians in human services, especially developmental disability services.”
Sinister Wisdom #39: Disability. (1989-1990). Berkeley, CA: Sinister Wisdom.
This is a 140-page collection of poetry, essays, drawings, pictures, and articles which all focus on disability. Most of the pieces are first-person accounts by lesbians who have disabilities. The women in this issue represent a variety of viewpoints and address a wide range of disability issues from a personal and a political point of view. The women who contributed to this volume have a range of disabilities such as dyslexia, severe allergies, physical disabilities, and blindness, as well as representing a range of racial, cultural, and economic diversity.
Resources of interest to lesbians with disabilities are listed in the back of the collections; these include books, periodicals, organizations, both art organizations and disability organizations.
There are some copies of this back issue still available; for more information go to their web site at:
http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/order.html.
Stinson, J., Christian, L., & Dotson, L. A. (2002, Spring). Overcoming barriers to the sexual expression of women with developmental disabilities.
Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (JASH), 27(1), 18-26.
This article discusses barriers to sexual fulfillment faced by women with developmental disabilities, including: access to gynecological healthcare, limited choices regarding reproductive issues, lack of sex education, and prevailing negative stereotypes that affect the way women are viewed by others and the way they view themselves. Recommendations are provided.
Taylor, C. (2001, May). Who goes there and how? Lesbians and disability.
Women Writers: A Zine. Retrieved January 8, 2005 from
http://www.womenwriters.net/may2001/taylor.htm.
As a queer activist, I've always thought that I've been very aware of injustice and oppression in the world. I've been involved in my community and one of many insisting on the importance of justice for all. I try to always keep in mind how necessary it is to be visible as a lesbian. A little over a year ago when my partner became disabled, I began to learn that I didn't really know anything about invisibility. I learned about an entire population of people that are ignored, left out of most discussions regarding their own lives. I learned that disabled lesbians are not only invalidated and marginalized by the larger society, but are ignored and avoided by able-bodied members of the queer community as well. And, I learned how I've participated in the process of isolation and alienation, and how I might have gone on not seeing had it not been for my partner's disability.
The invisibility of disabled lesbians is clear in the lack of research regarding their experience in society. Finding literature specific to lesbians and disability has been difficult at best. While I have found works written by disabled dykes that speak to the lived experience of being disabled, I have found little academic research that addresses the problems and possible solutions for these women in their negotiation of a heterosexist and ableist society.
Thompson, S. A., Bryson, M., & de Castell, S. (2001, March). Prospects for identity formation for lesbian, gay, or bisexual persons with developmental disabilities.
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48(1), 53-65.
The theoretical and practical constraints of identity formation for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons with developmental disabilities are explored. Firstly, disability and queer theory and conceptions of identification and community are presented. This is followed by a synopsis of some of the common societal myths about disability and about homosexuality. Thirdly, we trace how these myths affect and filter into caregiver attitudes, lesbian and gay communities and communities of persons with disabilities, including developmental disabilities. All these factors conspire to inhibit self-identification as LGB for persons with developmental disabilities. It is further argued that neither disability theorists nor queer theorists have adequately accounted for such complex identities, and that, perhaps, a fusion of disability theory and queer theory may provide a more comprehensive lens to capture these complexities. We conclude with tentative yet practical suggestions to begin to create community for LGB persons with a developmental disability.
Tremain, S. (Ed.). (1996).
Pushing the limits: Disabled dykes produce culture. London: Women’s Press.
This anthology begins with “Introduction: We’re here. We’re disabled and queer. Get used to it,” by Shelley Tremain, and is divided into seven sections: searching; becoming; loving; positioning; enduring; not surrendering; and testifying, with five to twelve pieces by disabled dykes in each section. This sensitive, intelligent, and questioning collection addresses topics such as the power and importance of language, the misuses of power, the corruption and convenience that governs the medical profession, and the passive disinterest of non-disabled sisters. The selections include essays, poetry, stories, and personal narratives.
Walter, L. J., Nosek, M. A., & Langdon, K. (2001, Spring). Understanding of sexuality and reproductive health among women with and without physical disabilities. In M. Nosek (Ed.), Feature issue on The Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD), Part I.
Sexuality and Disability, 19(1), 167-176.
This study compares differences in how women with disabilities and women without disabilities learned about their sexuality and reproductive functioning. A written questionnaire was sent to a national sample of women with disabilities and their non-disabled woman friends recruited through independent living centers and announcements in the media. Responses were received from 504 women with disabilities and 442 women without disabilities. Participants were asked how old they were when they first learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse. Women with disabilities learned about the physical aspects of sexual intercourse at about the same age (M = 13.16) as women without disabilities (M = 12.93). The most commonly reported sources for learning about sexuality and sexual functioning for both groups were books and other printed material, having sex, partners, friends, and teachers in primary school. More women with disabilities received information from a woman with a disability and a rehabilitation counselor. Women in both groups indicated that sex was never or seldom the subject of general family conversation. On average the women with physical disabilities had their first date at age 16.6, which is later than women without physical disabilities (M = 14.91). Women with physical disabilities who reported having acquired sexuality information at a later age reported having sexual intercourse at an older age (M = 20.37) than women without physical disabilities (M = 17.75). Age at acquiring sexuality information was neither associated with frequency of intimate touch nor frequency of sexual intercourse. The results of this study can be used to generate recommendations for health care professionals concerning ways to respond more effectively to the special needs for sexuality information of physically disabled women.
Welner, S. L. (1997, July). Gynecologic care and sexuality issues for women with disabilities.
Maturitas, 27(3), 295-296.
Approximately ten percent of the world's population has a disability. In the United States, it is estimated that there are 43 million disabled people and roughly 30% of them are women. There is often limited physical and structural access to health care for disabled women. As young girls, women with disabilities are often told that marriage is not a possibility, which can lead to feelings of asexuality. Barriers to contraception for women with disabilities may be two-fold; attitudinal as well as knowledge based. Sexually transmitted disease detection and prompt management interventions may be hampered by a number of factors. Women with disabilities that become pregnant have identical issues in many ways as compared with nondisabled women. Fertility and sexuality are closely intertwined. As a woman with a disability undergoes an infertility evaluation, her sexuality as well as identity as a woman may be threatened. Disabled women are living longer and are reaching the age of menopause while remaining active and involved in their family life, social life, and in the workforce.
Westgren, N., & Levi, R. (1999). Sexuality after injury: Interviews with women after traumatic spinal cord injury.
Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 309-319.
Qualitative study of the sexual experiences of women after spinal cord injury (SCI), including psychological, physical, and social barriers that must be overcome to allow resumption of a sexually active life with a partner. Data are from interviews with 8 women age 20-43 with experience of stable heterosexual relationships both before and after SCI. Topics include: (1) expectations, concerns, and outcome of the first sexual contact after injury; (2) communication with partner on sexual matters, before and after injury; and (3) limitations of sexual activity after injury, and compensatory strategies.
Wilkerson, A. (2002, Fall). Disability, sex radicalism, and political agency. In K. Q. Hall (Ed.), Feminist Disability Studies [Special issue].
NWSA Journal, 14(3), 33-57.
This paper uses queer and disability perspectives to argue that sexual agency is central to political agency, and that a group's experience of sexually-based harms and constraints on sexual agency should be recognized as a hallmark of oppression. It explores the political implications of erotophobia as it affects oppressed groups, the role of sexual shame in oppression based on sexuality and gender, and medical constructions of the sexuality of people with disabilities and others. The use of counter-discourses and coalition politics is proposed as one strategy for overcoming the corrosive effects of erotophobia on oppressed groups and their sexual/political agency.
Williams, L., & Nind, M. (1999, September). Insiders or outsiders: Normalisation and women with learning difficulties.
Disability & Society, 14(5) 659-672.
This paper examines changing attitudes towards women with learning difficulties within the culture of normalisation. It builds on earlier critiques of the normalisation principle and, whilst welcoming these, argues the case for looking at women in particular. The authors review literature on sex education for people with learning difficulties to illustrate the ways in which gender has been ignored and women's sexuality has been treated. Writing from their perspective as lesbian feminists, they explore the oppressive nature of sex education in a culture that places a premium on normality. The paper ends with a discussion of alternative ways for women with learning difficulties to gain a sense of identity and belonging.
Yoshida, K. K., Li, A., & Odette, F. (1999). Cross-cultural views of disability and sexuality: Experiences of a group of ethno-racial women with physical disabilities.
Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 321-337.
The field of sexuality research as it pertains to women with physical disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities is limited. This may be due to the lack of understanding among health care providers and researchers regarding the issues related to sexuality for women with disabilities. The impact of cultural beliefs and values related to sex and sexuality can further hinder women with disabilities from expressing themselves as ‘sexual beings.’ The purpose of this paper is: 1) identify issues and barriers experienced by women with disabilities from different ethno-cultural communities within an urban setting and 2) identify commonalities in experience of women with disabilities along the lines of cultural values about disability and gender.