Sex and stigma: The impact of structural violence on people with disabilities in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Disabled bodies are highly stigmatised by society and socially constructed as undesirable and malfunctioning bodies. Yet, little is known about the sexuality of people with disabilities. Analysing 21 online testimonies from a sex volunteer service for the disabled in Taiwan, we explore the complexity of their sexual lives. We illustrate how their bodies are constructed as asexual and undesirable that, in turn, produces structural violence against them while regulating their sexual desire. Although such regulation is powerful, people with disabilities still find ways to subvert it.

残障身体被社会高度污名化，并由社会建构为没有性吸引力且失能的身体，而关于障碍者与性的相关研究则非常少。透过分析21篇有关台湾为障碍者提供性义工服务的受服务者体验陈述，我们试图剖析他们性生活及其处境的复杂性。本文阐释他们的身体是如何被去性化及建构成无性吸引力，继而成为结构性的压迫，限制他们的情色欲望。即使这种压迫具影响力，但障碍者仍能另觅出路。

KEYWORDS:

• Sexuality
• disability
• sex volunteer
• rights
• structural violence
• critical discourse analysis
• body
• stigma

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Maurice Kwong-Lai Poon of the School of Social Work, York University, Toronto, Canada, for his assistance and comments. He not only shared his knowledge with me throughout the data analysis and the translation of quotes, he also provided many comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.