Sexuality and intimacy in institutions hosting the sick and the handicapped during the 1970s. From gender diversity to rights

Abstract

SummaryObjectivesThis article reviews both the political considerations related to sexuality that were dominant in French institutions supplying accommodation for the “sick” and “handicapped” during the 1970s and the development of mixed (male/female) institutions.MethodBased on archives (mainly the consultation of the principal journals on disabilities), this article contributes to the “archeological” exploration of the problematic relation between “handicap/disability” and “sexuality” in France.FindingsAfter showing how the questions of mixed institutions and sexuality were handled during the 1970s in France, some thoughts are proposed about the contemporary situation. The rhetoric of “mixity” is no longer used but, instead, a discourse on sexual rights, which professionals in this field do not always master very well.