Adult Film Offers a Good Opportunity to Talk About Sex and Disability
The Guardian Unlimited has a short article on Encarna Conde who is the current president of the Association of Andalucian Ataxia Groups and a somewhat reluctant porn sex activist.
The article relates that Encarna wrote to one of Spain's biggest porn producers, commenting on the lack of people with disabilities in mainstream porn. In response to the letter, Antonio Marcos who owns X Canal productions apparently put out a casting call for people with disabilities who were interested in getting into porn. The story is that no one showed up, and Encarna agreed to be in the film.
The article doesn't make it clear about whether Encarna has a sex role in the film (from the way it's written I think she has a non-sex role, but the reports are keeping it vague to appeal to the editors need for a juicy enough "hook"), but the movie does end, uncharacteristically, with a filmed discussion between Encarna and the movie's producer about the representation of sexuality and disability.
The film has apparently sparked much debate in Spain (none of which I can read, sadly), but it hasn't ignited much intelligent discussion in North America. With only one exception most people who have commented on it seem content to put up the headline about disability sex and leave it at that.
The article is seriously lightweight. It neither answers questions about the actual details of Encarna's work, nor does it even try that hard to find the answers. Let's consider some fof the loose ends here.
While it's true that there are practically no porn stars with visible disabilities, this isn't the same thing as saying there are no people living with disabilities in porn. According to an address by President Bush, there are 54 million Americans living with disabilities. Disability isn't just a wheelchair, scooter, or leg braces. Disability is all around us and its part of our lives in ways we don't (or more accurately, would rather not) think about. When we make the mistake of thinking that Disability only means those common visual signs of mobility impairment, we miss the boat entirely on what disability really is.
Whenever the topic of explicit sexuality and disability is raised in the media, it's as if no one has ever tackled this subject before. People living with disabilities and their allies and sex partners have been writing and struggling with issues of sexuality, and sexual marginalization for years. There are great books, detailed websites, and plenty of provocative art, that tackles these issues in complicated and important ways. And then there is the mainstream media, who for the ten millionth time pose the question: are people with disabilities sexual?
I haven't read much debate in this country about Encarna, but it would be interesting to know if the debate has progressed much beyond the one that erupted in 1987 when Ellen Stohl decided to pose for Playboy magazine, and be the first centerfold with a visible disability (where the disability was included in her profile). At the time there was an intense debate inside the disability community (which, in fact is much more than one single voiced community) about the appropriateness of Ellen's choice. There were many who felt that Ellen had "let down" people with disabilities by choosing to pose nude in Playboy, exposing the complicated nature of disability sexual representation.
One of the problems here is that there are so few public visual representations of sex and disability, that when one comes along, many people want to claim it as their own, or at the very least, they want to see themselves reflected in the representation. When they don't, there is an inevitable backlash. In my opinion the solution needs to be more visual representation, not less.
Lastly, I can't help but be aware that much of this judgment has nothing to do with sex and disability, and everything to do with a distaste for pornography. But from an access perspective the question isn't about whether someone with a disability should pose nude in Playboy, or assist with the production of a porn film. The real question is why do some people have the right to do it, while others don't.
Read more - Guardian Unlimited: Porn star in a wheelchair breaks barriers
Read more - Wheelchair Dancer: Disability Porn: the Observer
Related - About Sex and Disability
I think people (both dis- and non-) are curious as hell if disabled people can 1) have sex or 2) enjoy sex. Well, if the sexiest part of you (aka, your brain) is functioning to your satisfaction, then it’s a resounding yes! I rarely get asked a question about my sexual ability but when I do it is cloaked by a “can you have babies?” I often correct them with ‘do you mean can I get an erection?’ They more or less sheepishly reply “yes, that’s what I meant, I was afraid to ask”. I wish I knew how to broach the subject because I feel I’ve probably missed the chance here and there with a woman because she assumed I was incapable of an erection while at the same time missing the point that my brain is sexier than my penis. ….and yes, I can get an erection… with the help of an implant… it can stay erected forever if I want. My point (no pun intended) is that films with disabled people in them may free up people that have an interest in each other yet fear treading the sex talk.
I have so many friends with the exact same experience Duane, where they want to bring it up because they are sensing that someone is flirting, but doesn’t know much about disability. Living with a disability often can mean you have to be the one to bring it up, as if you are the ambassor of disability, which can be a drag, and an unfair burden. Some guys I know end up using humor to get the point across (making jokes about their “wheels” getting hard). But I also agree with you that stories like this one are good in part because it’s a chance to talk about sex where some people don’t know how to bring it up.
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When I was younger (& singler) I discovered the best answer to a female’s “Can you have intercourse?” was a sort of bashful “I think so” was enough. Several women, even when I was in my mid-20s, took it as a challenge & helped prove I could!
I have just become disabled with a leg amputation, I also have ED from diabetes. Since I am now a widower, how should I chat with women on line? Should I use a webcam?