Abstract
The fusion of terms disability and sexuality is often met with resistance and stigma. When considering how communication surrounding disability and sexuality materializes in the lived subjectivities of disabled people, it is critical to have a direct account of this. This chapter provides a case study of Shane Burcaw—a disabled author and YouTube personality who is well-known for actively speaking of the infantilization, dysfunction, and ‘difference’ that are incessantly attributed toward him regarding his sexuality; notions that he himself also occasionally internalizes. This chapter discursively analyzes how disability is communicated in the context of sexuality through Burcaw’s embodiment and sociocultural context. It demonstrates how the desexualisation of disabled individuals is grounded in both compulsory sexuality and compulsory able-bodiedness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
The term “interabled” here refers to their relationship as it is comprised of Burcaw, who identifies as a disabled person, and Aylward, who is understood by the couple to be “able-bodied.” It is critical to note that the terms “interabled” and “able-bodied” are terms that are highly contested within the disability community. While some members identify with and utilize these terms, many others problematize them as they infer a universal state of “normalcy” among non-disabled people which positions disabled people as inferior and deficient in comparison.
References
Benedet, J., & Grant, I. (2007). Hearing the sexual assault complaints of women with mental disabilities: Consent, capacity, and mistaken belief. McGill Law Journal, 52(2), 243–289. https://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/article/hearing-the-sexual-assault-complaints-of-women-with-mental-disabilities-consent-capacity-and-mistaken-belief/
Bogaert, A. F. (2006). Toward a conceptual understanding of asexuality. Review of General Psychology, 10(3), 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.10.3.214
Brodwin, M. G., & Frederick, P. C. (2010). Sexuality and societal beliefs regarding persons living with disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 76(4), 37–41.
Burcaw, S. (2014). Laughing at my nightmare. Roaring Book Press.
Burcaw, S. (2019). Strangers assume my girlfriend is my nurse. Roaring Book Press.
Burgess, J., & Green, J. (2009). YouTube: Online video and participatory culture. Policy Press.
Cerankowski, K. J., & Milks, M. (2010). New orientations: Asexuality and its implications for theory and practice. Feminist Studies, 36(3), 650–664, 699–700. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27919126
Davidson, D., & La Monica, N. (2011). Disability definitions. In M. Z. Stange, C. K. Oyster, & J. E. Sloan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of women in today’s world (Vol. 1, pp. 402–405). Sage.
Davis, L. J. (Ed.). (1997). The disability studies reader. Routledge.
DeWelles, M. (2019). Just like but unlike: Sameness, difference, and disability in children’s storybooks. Journal of Teaching Disability Studies, Issue 1. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://jtds.commons.gc.cuny.edu/just-like-but-unlike-sameness-difference-and-disability-in-childrens-storybooks/
Emens, E. F. (2014). Compulsory sexuality. Stanford Law Review, 66(2), 303–386. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2218783
Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality. Volume 1, An introduction. Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1980). Truth and power. In C. Gordon (Ed.), Power/knowledge: Selected interviews & other writings by Michel Foucault, 1972–1977 (pp. 109–133). Vintage Books.
Gill, M. (2015). Already doing it: Intellectual disability and sexual agency. University of Minnesota Press.
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Prentice-Hall.
Grue, J. (2015). Disability and discourse analysis. Routledge.
Hall, D. E. (2004). Subjectivity. Routledge.
Inahara, M. (2009). This body which is not one: The body, femininity, and disability. Body and Society, 15(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X08100146
Kim, E. (2011). Asexuality in disability narratives. Sexualities, 14(4), 479–493. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460711406463
Liddiard, K. (2014). The work of disabled identities in intimate relationships. Disability and Society, 29(1), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2013.776486
McRuer, R. (2006). Crip theory: Cultural signs of queerness and disability. New York University Press.
McRuer, R. (2018). Crip times: Disability, globalization, and resistance. New York University Press.
Mollow, A., & McRuer, R. (2012). Introduction. In R. McRuer & A. Mollow (Eds.), Sex and disability (pp. 1–36). Duke University Press.
Oliver, M. (1983). Social work with disabled people. Macmillan Education.
Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. Macmillan Education.
Orange, L. M. (2009). Sexuality and disability. In M.G. Brodwin, F.W. Siu, J. Howard, & E.R. Brodwin (Eds.). Medical, psychosocial, and vocational aspects of disability (3rd ed., pp. 263–272). Elliott & Fitzpatrick.
Parker, R. (2009). Sexuality, culture and society: Shifting paradigms in sexuality research. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11(3), 251–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050701606941
Payne, D. A., Hickey, H., Nelson, A., Rees, K., Bollinger, H., & Hartley, S. (2016). Physically disabled women and sexual identity: A photovoice study. Disability & Society, 31(8), 1030–1049. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2016.1230044
Perlin, M. L., & Lynch, A. J. (2016). Sexuality, disability, and the law: Beyond the last frontier? Palgrave Macmillan.
Philaretou, A. G., & Allen, K. R. (2001). Reconstructing masculinity and sexuality. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 9(3), 301–321. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.0903.301
Przybylo, E. (2011). Crisis and safety: The asexual in sexusociety. Sexualities, 14(4), 444. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460711406461
Przybylo, E. (2016). Asexuals against the Cis-tem! Transgender Studies Quarterly, 3(3-4), 653–660. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-3545347
Richards, D., Miodrag, N., & Watson, S. L. (2006). Sexuality and developmental disability: Obstacles to healthy sexuality throughout the lifespan. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 34(1-2), 137–155.
Saul, R. (2010). KevJumba and the adolescence of YouTube. Educational Studies, 46(5), 457–477. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2010.510404
Shah, S., Wallis, M., Conor, F., & Kiszely, P. (2015). Bringing disability history alive in schools: Promoting a new understanding of disability through performance methods. Research Papers in Education, 30(3), 267–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2014.891255
Squirmy and Grubs. (2020a, June 22). Does Shane’s disease affect his sex drive? Intimacy and disability Q&A part 3. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LJJnULUyFY
Squirmy and Grubs. (2020b, May 20). Intimacy & disability—How we make it work—Q&A part 1. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iBROcohmxk
Squirmy and Grubs. (2020c, May 10). Physical affection and intimacy in our relationship. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tq83yqreU0
Squirmy and Grubs. (2020d, June 9). Sexual function and Shane’s disease—intimacy and disability Q&A part 2. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_CbYrTTUdo
Titchkosky, T., & Michalko, R. (2009). Introduction. In T. Titchkosky & R. Michalko (Eds.), Rethinking normalcy: A disability studies reader (pp. 1–15). Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Trieschmann, R. B. (1988). Spinal cord injuries: Psychological, social, and vocational rehabilitation. Demos Medical Publishing.
Vaz, P., & Bruno, F. (2003). Types of self-surveillance: from abnormality to individuals ‘at risk’. Surveillance & Society, 1(3), 272–291. https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v1i3.3341
Warner, M. (1999). Normal and normaller: Beyond gay marriage. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian & Gay Studies, 2, 119–171. https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-5-2-119
Weedon, C. (1987). Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory. Blackwell.
Whittington-Walks, F. (2018). “One of us” or two? Conjoined twins and the paradoxical relationships of identity in American Horror Story: Freak Show. In J.L. Schatz & A.E. George (Eds.), The image of disability: Essays on media representations (pp. 11-27). McFarland & Company, Inc.
Wodak, R. (2001). What CDA is about: A summary of its history, important concepts and its developments. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 1–13). Sage Publications.
Yoshizaki-Gibbons, H. H., & O’Leary, M. E. (2018). Deviant sexuality: The hypersexualization of women with bipolar disorder in film and television. In J. L. Schatz & A. E. George (Eds.), The image of disability: Essays on media representations (pp. 93–106). McFarland & Company.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ali, A. (2023). “When We Say That It’s Private, a Lot of People Assume It Just Doesn’t Exist”: Communication, Disability, and Sexuality. In: Jeffress, M.S., Cypher, J.M., Ferris, J., Scott-Pollock, JA. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14447-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14447-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-14446-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-14447-9
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)