Episode 31: Sex and Disability

Summary: This episode features people with physical disabilities talking about the able-bodied world's tendency to erase their sexuality, using Tindr in a wheelchair, disability-related sexual superpowers, and much more. Comedian <a href="http://www.springdaycomedy.com" target="_blank">Spring Day</a> makes her triumphant return. She and her boyfriend, comedian <a href="http://twitter.com/timrenkowcomedy" target="_blank">Tim Renkow</a>, both have cerebral palsy and talk frankly about their sex life. The fetishization of disabled people, often called devoteeism, also comes up in this episode. Check out the excellent BBC3 documentary Meet the Devotees <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=dtCwyqD-Vp8" target="_blank">here</a>. We also talk about the role sex workers sometimes play in enriching the lives of people with disabilities. Check out <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=bYfz4svcvqE" target="_blank">Rachel Wotton's Ted Talk</a> exploring this topic. Her film <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt1951238/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Scarlet Road</a> also comes up, as does the 2012 feature film <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt1866249/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Sessions</a> about Mark O'Brien's experiences with a sex surrogate. You can watch an Oscar-winning documentary short about Mark O'Brien <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=JzEGZnWT5dA" target="_blank">here</a> and read his article “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate” <a href="http://thesunmagazine.org/issues/174/on_seeing_a_sex_surrogate" target="_blank">here</a>. Other articles mentioned on the show include <a href="http://vice.com/en_us/article/av4m8p/hand-angel-hand-jobs-taiwan-748" target="_blank">this Vice piece</a> about Hand Angels, <a href="http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/Sexual_Positioning_Devices" target="_blank">this guide to sexual positioning devices</a>, and a <a href="http://salon.com/1999/07/12/obrien/" target="_blank">fascinating obituary</a> published by Salon about Mark O'Brien. Other podcasts mentioned on the show include the <a href="http://wnyc.org/shows/deathsexmoney/" target="_blank">Death Sex and Money</a> episodes <a href="http://wnyc.org/story/death-sex-money-rachel-hiroki/" target="_blank">Newlywed and Paralyzed</a> and <a href="http://wnyc.org/story/death-sex-money-nikki-and-darrell/" target="_blank">Two Wheelchairs and a Baby</a>, as well as an episode of Everybody Swing entitled <a href="http://stitcher.com/podcast/everybody-swing/e/episode-31-swinging-in-a-wheelchair-37646824" target="_blank">Swinging in a Wheelchair</a>. Finally, Ryan Lythall can be reached at <a href="mailto:rythall@me.com">rythall@me.com</a> if you have any follow-up questions or would like to book him for a speaking engagement.