Disability is still too often treated as a taboo, especially when associated with sexuality. We live in a society that struggles to conceive that a disabled person can have desires, fantasies, and an active sexual life. But nothing could be further from the truth!
Disability and Sexuality: Between Inclusion and Fetishization
In some countries (such as the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark), there are sexual assistance services for people with disabilities, aiming to fill a gap left by a culture that ignores their right to pleasure. To become assistants, training courses, diplomas, ongoing updates, ethical conduct cards, therapeutic supervision, and agreed-upon prices are established. However, at the other extreme, we find the fetishization of disability. People with disabilities can become the object of desire for some individuals who are sexually aroused by the disability itself, such as “devotees” (people sexually attracted to people with disabilities), acrotomophiles (individuals attracted to amputations), or abasiophiles (people attracted to individuals using wheelchairs or orthopedic corsets). In the world of pornography, there is an entire niche where disability is treated as a curiosity, something strange to observe rather than understand. We’re talking about “devotee porn,” a subgenre where people with disabilities are seen as objects of desire because of their condition, often with a narrative that leans more towards voyeurism than authentic erotica.
Something is Changing…
The world of pornography doesn’t leave much room for actors and actresses with disabilities. In the rare cases when it happens, their disability rarely isn’t the focal point of the scene. But something is changing. Some performers are leading the way toward a more authentic representation, such as director and activist Annie Sprinkle, who has promoted a more inclusive view of sexuality. The website “CrashPadSeries” has also given space to performers with disabilities, focusing on a more realistic and less stereotypical narrative. Other examples of initiatives and projects that focus on the inclusion of disabled people in pornography include:
- Sinclair Sexsmith and “The Disability Porn Project” – Sinclair Sexsmith is an author and activist who has worked to promote a positive and inclusive representation of people with disabilities in the world of sex and pornography. The “Disability Porn Project” was created to show how sexuality can be expressed in a safe, consensual, and inclusive way for people with disabilities.
- Adrianna Brach – Adrianna is a performer and activist who works to improve the visibility of disabled people in the porn industry. She has openly discussed the difficulties and challenges of living with a disability and how important it is to see it represented in a healthy, non-stigmatizing way within the sexual context.
- Pornhub and other mainstream platforms – Some mainstream platforms like Pornhub have begun exploring content featuring actors with disabilities. While these initiatives are still in their early stages, the fact that these platforms have started to show more openness to the representation of disability is a step toward greater inclusion.
- “Crippled by Porn” – A documentary exploring how people with disabilities interact with pornography and their sexual experiences. Although not an actual porn film, the documentary offers an important perspective on the relationship between disability and sexuality.
- Inclusive porn websites – Some inclusive porn websites, such as PinkLabel.tv and BlushErotica, are seeking to embrace and represent a wider range of bodies and experiences, including those of people with disabilities. Inclusivity is at the heart of many of the productions on these sites.
Conclusions
Finally, beyond those who appear in the videos, there is the issue of who watches them. Pornography websites are rarely accessible to those with visual, auditory, or motor disabilities. An example? The enormous difficulties faced by blind or visually impaired individuals: audio descriptions could make a difference, but they are practically nonexistent. What does the future hold? Ideally, we would see more inclusivity in both the content and the platforms, making pornography more accessible and representative. After all, sex is part of everyone’s life, and ignoring or distorting the sexuality of people with disabilities means depriving them of a fundamental right: to be seen, desired, and respected.