The trailer for the documentary “Scarlet Road” about a sex worker who focuses on men who are mentally/physically/developmentally disabled. As a guardian/student teacher of people with disabilities, this brings tears to my eyes. I wish that my 20 year-old kid (actually sister, but I largely raised her) had this opportunity to experience sex in a safe and comfortable environment like the men in this vid. So many people think that mentally and physically disabled people don’t experience any sexual desire (even involved parents who are otherwise educated about said conditions). I try and combat this stereotype whenever I encounter it (resulting in lots of awkward impassioned speeches). This DOESN’T MEAN REPRODUCTION. I don’t want my sister to reproduce, as she neither likes children nor is capable of caring for them (plus odds are any offspring would have major developmental problems). I still want her to happily experience this major facet of the human experience though. (Plus I’d like to limit the number of times I walk in on her masturbating as it is mortifying). Individuals with disabilities fantasize about the same things the rest of us do, and shouldn’t have to live without the sex they desire simply because of the way they were born. I know of at least one disabled man who has a relationship with a female sex worker and he is one of the happiest disabled adults I know (which is at least 40 individuals). We all deserve to have that chance. Sorry for the meandering ruminations, but this is a subject I have felt passionate about for many years/I have had a few cocktails. If this raises problems for you, please respond, as I would love to have an honest, polite, conversation (made possible by the superficial anonymity of the internet) about this subject.
P.S. In response to some comments, I would like to clarify that my sister has fairly severe autism with limited verbal ability (approx. 1st grade level), making meeting people and setting her own boundaries extremely difficult.
I don’t know how I feel about any of this. A lot of the notes on this are comments about how great she is and I guess she seems like a nice enough person, but I don’t grasp how being willing to have sex with disabled people for money makes her amazing. It implies that no one else would want to have a relationship, let alone a sexual one, purely because we like the other person when one or both partners have a disability. Guess I’ll have to tell Kit that since we’re both disabled we aren’t allowed to be together anymore.
I watched the documentary, and I do quite like the organization she helps with which encourages open discussion of both disability and sex work. The documentary itself was also great. It’s just the commentary that’s a bith off-putting. It’s not a miracle she has sex with disabled people for money. Some of us do it for free because we like our partners.
(via allthechocolatesinthebox)
