Sexual professionalism: for whom? The case of sexual facilitation in Swedish personal assistance services

Abstract

Sexuality is a taboo subject in disability services, leading to insecurity for both service users and personnel about how to handle upcoming situations. In Sweden, there is also a lack of policy in this area, highlighting the need to study sexuality both as an individual and a political, and in this case also, depoliticized issue. A critical feminist policy analysis reveals that norms around disability, sexuality and professionalism in a particular legal, political and cultural context strongly influence the willingness to recognize disabled people’s sexual rights. The Swedish case indicates a need for increased transnational work to develop ethical, professional and non-discriminatory rights-based approaches to sexual facilitation.

Keywords:

• sexuality
• disability
• independent living
• policy
• professionalism

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Susan Schweik for helpful discussions and for less tangible contributions in conceptualizing as well as in preparing the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. For further discussion on intersectional perspectives in relation to sexual facilitation see Bahner (2013).

2. The Committee is currently undergoing a reorganization process.

3. See. http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/etikisocialtjansten 2015-03-23.