The Sexual Politics of Disability: Untold Desires

by Tom Shakespeare, Dominic Davies, Kath Gillespie-Sells

This work focuses on disability and sexuality. It raises issues about civil rights and individual freedoms, and considers how these impact on current debates on gender studies, sexual/political and cultural studies.

Genres: Disability, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Queer, Disability Studies, LGBT

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent exploration of how the sexuality of disabled people is often ignored, and is rarely if ever viewed as a policy concern. The book follows a logical structure, starting with an introduction to the social model of disability.

Whilst there are chapters on LGBT disabled people, and I think considering when the book was published it was quite revolutionary, I'd have liked to see it move away from the male/female gender binary a bit more.

I gained a lot from reading it, as both a social and public policy student, and disabled person.

[Lightreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

An issue survey book built around a structured interview study of a sample of British persons with disabilities. Thorough and inclusive – if anything, the author suggests he oversampled the LGBT population. It's particularly good on barriers to disabled sexual expression, and on unpacking the duel popular perception of disabled sexuality as non-existent but simultaneously perverse. Frustrating in the way of survey books in that I really wanted a half dozen books, each built off a fifteen page section here on the disability fetish market, institutionalized rape, sex surrogacy, etc.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unfortunately couldn't find an inexpensive copy of this book on Amazon, but I found it to be a good use of my money. It doesn't shy away from the subject of sexual exploitation, which is experienced by a great many disabled people (both male and female), but it also presents disabled people as humans with agency, capable of experiencing sexual pleasure and positive self image, rather than utilizing a simplistic narrative of perpetual victimhood. There definitely needs to be more books like this, as the study this book is based upon is dated now, what with the impact of changes in technology (and more importantly, access to that technology) that have taken place since the 90s.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does Shakespeare explain the social model of disability in a way that is easily understandable, but he then goes on to demonstrate all of the ways in which if impacts the sexual experiences of individuals with disabilities. Great book with lots of personal stories, mixed with academic merit.