‘Them Two Things are What Collide Together’: Understanding the Sexual Identity Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People Labelled with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Strategies for coping with abuse maintained participant's engagement in local communities. Sexuality was often problematized by others despite being generally accepted by participants. Coming out was a continual process of decision-making to facilitate safety and acceptance. To feel fully supported, participants desired holistic service provision sensitive to their sexuality and intellectual disability needs. Clinical and research implications are suggested.

Is it possible to use interpretative phenomenological analysis in research with people who have intellectual disabilities?

“…Three further papers looked at the experience of diagnosis and disability (Dysch et al, ; Kenyon et al, ; Monteleone & Forrester Jones, ) and two at relationships (Rushbrooke et al, ; Sullivan et al, ). Other papers explored the experience of bereavement (McRitchie et al, ); ageing (Newberry et al, ); retirement from day centres (Judge et al, ); trauma (Mitchell et al, ); fire setting (Rose, Lees‐Warley, & Thrift, ); mental health (Robinson et al, ); ethnic minorities (Malik et al, ); self‐concept (Pestana, ); and identity (Dinwoodie et al, ).…”

“…The remaining six papers were rated as “good” (Clarkson, Murphy, Coldwell, & Dawson, ; Cookson & Dickson, ; Dinwoodie, Greenhill, & Cookson, ; Roscoe, Petalas, Hastings, & Thomas, ; Rose et al, ; Stenfert Kroese et al, ). These papers met the majority of quality criteria but there were some exceptions, which included specifying the level of intellectual disability of the participants, and a lack of homogeneity in some samples.…”

Cripping sexualities: An analytic review of theoretical and empirical writing on the intersection of disabilities and sexualities

“…When these are absent (as they often are), this affects queer disabled people's opportunities to have relationships and to develop a positive sense of self as a queer subject. The absence of a safe and supportive community may also impact their willingness to come out as queer (Blanchett, ; Blyth & Carson, ; Carson & Docherty, ; Corker, ; Dinwoodie et al, ; Löfgren‐Mårtenson, ; Sherry, ). Future studies should look at how queer and disability identities intersect as well as how disabled people experience and negotiate their sexual identities in different ways (Dworkin, ; Kafer, ; Kattari, ; Rainbow Ripples and Butler, ; Schulz, ).…”

“…Secondly, there is a common tendency to collapse the LGB and T categories into one, problematically mashing sexual orientations with gender identities–expressions without acknowledging important nuances (Harley et al, ; Murib, ; Stryker, ). That is to say that more attention needs to be focused at the intersection of disabilities, trans* identities, and sexualities (Dinwoodie et al, ; McCann et al, ; McClelland et al, ). There are nonetheless some scholars doing fascinating work on the intersections of trans* and disability studies and politics (e.g., Baril, ; Clare, ; Mog & Swarr, ; Nakamura, ), revealing, for example, as Baril (, p. 6) has noted, an “ableist bias in trans studies and a cis(gender) normative bias in disability studies,” as well as opportunities for coalitions.…”

“…The existing literature in this area has consistently noted how queer disabled people often experience isolation, marginalization, and oppression because of their disability and sexual orientation (Bennett & Coyle, 2001;Harley, Nowak, Gassaway, & Savage, 2002;Lemos and Crane, 2012;Vernon, 1999). Disabled people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and asexual are located at the complex intersections of multiple systems of social inequality including not only homophobia, ableism, and heterosexism but also sexism, classism, racism, and ageism (just to mention a few) and face unique challenges in their day-to-day lives (Bennett & Coyle, 2001;Dinwoodie et al, 2016;Harley et al, 2002;Vernon, 1999). Thus, the concept of intersectionality is crucial for making sense of the experiences of queer people with disabilities (Corbett, 1994;Dinwoodie et al, 2016;Harley et al, 2002;Kattari, 2015).…”