Using Social and Educational Approaches to Enable a Man with Learning Disabilities to Develop his Sexual Identity and Orientation

Abstract

This paper describes the obstacles encountered by a young, gay man with a mild learning disability. His referral for ‘challenging behaviour’ to the Personal Relationships and Sex Education Team initiated a one‐to‐one sex education programme. When the work had been completed his frustration grew as he could not apply his learning and he desperately wanted a sexual partner. The work took a new direction to find a gay befriender to assist our client to access his community and continue his learning. This case study highlights the need for carers and professionals to assist people with learning disabilities to break down the barriers of community resistance that prevents them from integrating and developing their chosen sexual identity.

A narrative review of the literature about people with intellectual disability who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or questioning

“…LGB persons with developmental disabilities Edmonds and Collins (1999). (continued) (continued) (1) talk about love, (2) reluctance to come out, (3) discrimination, (4) social isolation and (5) lack of support.…”

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

“…Even fewer studies address the experiences of bisexual disabled individuals (Dworkin, ; Hellemans, Colson, Verbraeken, Vermeiren, & Deboutte, ). Some studies have included disabled bisexual people, but without fully exploring the intersection of disability and bisexuality (Blanchett, ; Edmonds & Collins, ; Hellemans et al, ; Kattari, ). It is worth noting how bisexuality is a marginalized and contested sexuality within queer circles, as some gays and lesbians—as well as heterosexual people—question its very existence and authenticity (Owen, ).…”

“…To begin, having access to appropriate and useful sex education and knowledge is essential for understanding and exploring one's sexuality (Abbott & Burns, 2007;Abbott & Howarth, 2007;Burns & Davies, 2011;Cambridge, 1996;Edmonds & Collins, 1999;Kattari, 2015;Stoffelen et al, 2013). Queer people with disabilities, however, often receive inadequate sex education (which tends to be heteronormative) or are excluded from sex education classes altogether (Blanchett, 2002;Blyth & Carson, 2007;Cambridge & Mellan, 2000;Carson & Docherty, 2002;Löfgren-Mårtenson, 2009;McCann et al, 2016).…”

‘I Count Myself as Normal, Well, not Normal, but Normal Enough’ Men with Learning Disabilities Tell their Stories about Sexuality and Sexual Identity

“…by some, in a positive light, emphasis was often placed on possible negative implications (Edmonds & Collins, 1999). For example, in relation to parenting, despite evidence that people with learning disabilities do not have more children than the 'norm', do not necessarily have children with learning disabilities and can develop parenting skills (Tymchuk et al, 1987), parenting is frequently seen as something that should be avoided; if pregnancy does occur, it is likely to result in the child's being removed from the woman with a learning disability (Sheerin, 1998;Baum, 2000).…”