Sexual Revolution
This article will give you an outline of our third and final priority campaign this year – Sexual Revolution.
The work of the Disabled Students’ campaign is not just focussed on changing legislation, however important this might be. We don’t simply engage in high level pressure and lobbying to think tanks, government ministers and so on.
We try to change the life of disabled students now, on campuses across the country. We know, only too well, that the barriers in place for disabled students are real, challenging and need to end.
Often, these barriers are physical. Lifts, ramps, grab bars, steps, hearing loops, safe space rooms, documents in certain formats, large print books – there are endless adjustments that can be made so that we can perform and engage with our college and university life in exactly the same way as our non-disabled counterparts.
But I’d hazard a safe guess that most of the barriers that disabled students face come from attitudes. Its easy enough (you’d think!) to make physical changes in order to increase access. But its far more challenging to change attitudes. Far more challenging to change the way that we are perceived. Far more challenging to engage with our teachers, lecturers, fellow students. Far more challenging to end the stereotypes of disabled students and their lives.
These stereotypes manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Usually they are based on a number of assumptions. Here’s my top five disabled sexual assumptions:
1. We don’t have sex.
2. We don’t believe that abortion should be a legal right, because it affects impaired foetuses.
3. We don’t need condom machines in our toilets
4. We don’t need accessible sexual health clinics
5. Disabled people usually have bodies that are so deformed, physical sex is impossible (I didn’t believe this assumption existed until I met a student officer who genuinely believed this)
Rubbish! Disabled people have sex! We have a right to make the same choices about our bodies as anyone else. That means the right to choose to have sex, the right to say no (and, lets be clear – no means no), the right to have an abortion and the right access sexual health advice and information in the same way as anyone else.
It time for us to start a Sexual Revolution!
This campaign is about attitudes, about dispelling the myths of disabled people, sex and sexuality. Its about getting the message out loud and clear that we should be respected for our sexual choices in the same way as anyone else.
Some of us choose to be celibate, and that’s our choice. Respect it. Some of us choose to be monogamous, and that’s choice. Respect it. Some of us choose to be sexually active, and that’s our choice. Respect it. Some of us choose to be very sexually active, and that’s our choice. Respect it.
But whatever our choice, give us the same access to services than anyone else. Take that horrified look of your face and deal with the fact that some disabled people enjoy sex. Respect that fact that the disabled people have exactly the same right to say no, and exactly the same right to have an abortion.
This campaign also works on the issue of HIV. Given that students are one of the larges demographic groups being infected or affected by HIV, the sexual health resources are generally poor for students, and particularly poor for disabled students.
Knowledge on HIV is still ropey. The welfare campaign has done a great job of working on these issues in recent years, but now is not a time to be complacent – either on a national level or in your unions. HIV is spreading fast on our campuses.
But its not just about preventing HIV. Its about recognising that some students already have HIV. Its about providing them with support, ensuring that they have access to fridges for their medication on campus, that they are not treated like some kind of leper and that their student lives are not adversely affected by their HIV status.
HIV is recognised under the Disability Discrimination Act as a disability – this means that HIV+ students have the same rights to ‘reasonable adjustments’ as any other disabled student. As the last parts of the DDA drip into our life, we’ll also start to see a specific requirement placed on colleges and universities to ensure that discrimination and prejudice on the basis of ANY impairment is illegal.
Gone are the days when lecturers can continue to spout their ‘HIV hate’ and justify ridiculous arguments about HIV being God’s way to weed out promiscuity. Gone are the days when universities and colleges can stop positive students from engaging in certain courses because of the ‘health and safety risk’. And gone are the days when positive students are bullied, harassed and discriminated against by their institution.
This campaign will be on your campus. Loud and clear posters, door hangers (yes I do have sex, just not with you; disabled students: sexy people etc) and ideas and suggestions for you to start a sexual revolution in your union, at your institution and on your campus.
Enhanced information on disability and being pro choice, the right for disabled women to say no, LGBT disabled people, accessible sexual health services and stamping out disability sex myths will be available soon.
I’m starting a disability sexual revolution. Will you join me?
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