Last post Fri, Jun 06 2008 5:23 PM by mcjane. 5 replies.
Yesterday, FOXNews.com posted an article about sex and disabilities. The author, Dr. Fulbright, plays off the recent study on veterans with disabilities and intimate relationships and aims to dispel some common sex myths/stereotypes relating to disabilities.
What are your thoughts on the article? Also, what do you think about the article's title: "Can Disabled be Sexy? You Bet!"
If a disabled person can't have sex then how do I have a family? Just a question i have.. I find this so funny that people think disabled people can't have sex..
I cannot tell you how glad I am to realise the obvious, that people with disabilities, wherever they are in the world, encounter similar reactions their from non disabled counterparts. The message concerning disability & our experiences in the world of attractiveness and matters below the waist, resonated with me as a single male, so sexually frustrated that my pent up energy could power a small town for at least a week.
I am male, 44 and have the birth defect Spina Bifida with a splash of Hydrocephalus on the side. I walk with elbow crutches and find that my mind works overtime, trying to decypher the reactions of women who perhaps want to know whether I have a fully functioning .....or not. Paranoia and I are firm friends at the moment.
To be serious though, I find that if I look around, I mean really look, I will notice that children in sub saharan Africa will not make it to their first birthday due to a lack of food, perhaps due to the result of conflicts from which their parents are fleeing. Over here in the west, I live in the UK, children will be neglected because the people responsible for bringing them into the world are battling with their dependence on drugs and / or alcohol. Elders needing care have to hope that the care home they find they need now, will not simply exploit their dependence and leave them reliant on sub-standard levels of care, reducing them to being fearful of asserting themselves for fear of bad things happening to them.
In a long, round about way, I am saying that, for whatever reason, we are going through some really tough times, living with a body that has sometimes thrown in the towel and has plans of its own but asI have pointed out, there are others on this planet, who are going through unimaginable pain and suffering. I can't afford to believe in a God that loves us when this is going on. I just hope that we can just take comfort from speaking with each other about our experiences in an effort to get through the next hour, or day with our dignity and self respect intact. It's a funny thing. I actually found out that Disaboom existed by, one night, typing into a search engine "sexy+disabled" and bam, there you were. I feel so connected to you all, even though the Atlantic separates us, getting comfort from others going through difficult times makes living just that bit easier.
The article shed light on what is and has been happening to people who are part of society even though we are not always made to feel a part of it at times and as for the title "Can Disable Be Sexy? You Bet!" unlike my reply, it's short and to the point, and grabs your attention.
i stay amazed of how our culture seems to put labels stuff they don't understand,that was a refreshing
article to show the rest of the world that people with disabilities want to be included want to be normal
and to make babies if we want too. we have the same feelings wants and desires as everyone else.
our culture has to learn to put the person first and the disability second.
george
I AM A DISABLED WOMAN , SEX WAS NEVER ISSUE WITH ME , I KNOW WHO I AM AND INDEED A VERY SEXY WOMAN ! WITH CLASS LOL , I THINK ITS MORE OF HOW YOU FEEL IN YOUR MIND AND NOT THE ABLE LOOKING BODY ! I COULD NOT GIVE BIRTH DUE TO THE POLIO , YET I ADOPED TWO BEAITIFUL DAUGHTERS FROM INDIA . AGAIN I BELIVE IT HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF FIRST ! I SEE MY MYSELF AS A SEXY CLASSY WOMAN WHO HAS ALOT TO OFFER ! RAINEY
The title might have read better "Can THE Disabled be Sexy..." instead of making it sound like disabled is a fetish. I am 54 years old and 9 months new to paraplegia and am amazed that my sexuality is of concern to everyone. All my friends questioned it and assured me my sex life didn't have to end. I had given up dating even before my accident, but when a man who has been dogging me for years said "Let me just ask you...do you get horny? I mean CAN you now?" and volunteered his service, I just had to smile. But I still didn't give him any.
