Media often shapes how we perceive reality. When there is a huge gap in representation, it can affect how people see and stigmatize others.
This has been done with the disabled community for quite a while. One of the ignorant questions I notice most often from people outside of the disabled community is, “Can disabled people have sex?” Or they’ll say, “Disabled people can’t have sex because x, y, z is wrong with them.” But of course, we can!
Yes, most of us participate in sexual activities. Most of us have sex; we find sexual activities enjoyable. When disabled people are infantilized or presented as inspiration porn, it furthers the stigma that disabled people don’t have sex or that they don’t want or need relationships.
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