Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
The strength of this chapter lies in an examination of pity and competence as thoroughly unhelpful constructs that perceive individuals who experience sexual abuse as deserving of pity and unable to ...
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The strength of this chapter lies in an examination of pity and competence as thoroughly unhelpful constructs that perceive individuals who experience sexual abuse as deserving of pity and unable to consent to sexual activities. The chapter deconstructs the complicated notions of competence and assessments of competence as denying individuals legal recognition of their capacity for sexual expression.Less
The strength of this chapter lies in an examination of pity and competence as thoroughly unhelpful constructs that perceive individuals who experience sexual abuse as deserving of pity and unable to consent to sexual activities. The chapter deconstructs the complicated notions of competence and assessments of competence as denying individuals legal recognition of their capacity for sexual expression.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
This chapter investigates a recent court case in Illinois where a young adult woman with an intellectual disability petitioned the court to stop an involuntary sterilization procedure. The court ...
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This chapter investigates a recent court case in Illinois where a young adult woman with an intellectual disability petitioned the court to stop an involuntary sterilization procedure. The court ruled that permanent sterilization would cause psychological damage to the young woman even though the court was convinced she did not have the capacity to parent. Activists emboldened by the court case petitioned the State Legislature and Governor to pass a law preventing involuntary sterilization.Less
This chapter investigates a recent court case in Illinois where a young adult woman with an intellectual disability petitioned the court to stop an involuntary sterilization procedure. The court ruled that permanent sterilization would cause psychological damage to the young woman even though the court was convinced she did not have the capacity to parent. Activists emboldened by the court case petitioned the State Legislature and Governor to pass a law preventing involuntary sterilization.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
Tracing the history of efforts in the United States to limit the sexual freedoms of such persons, using methods such as forced sterilization, invasive birth control, and gender-segregated living ...
More
Tracing the history of efforts in the United States to limit the sexual freedoms of such persons, using methods such as forced sterilization, invasive birth control, and gender-segregated living arrangements, Michael Gill demonstrates that these widespread practices stemmed from dominant views of disabled sexuality, not least the notion that intellectually disabled women are excessively sexual and fertile while their male counterparts are sexually predatory. Analyzing legal discourses, sex education materials, and news stories going back to the 1970s, Gill shows, for example, that the intense focus on “stranger danger” in sex education for intellectually disabled individuals disregards their ability to independently choose activities and sexual partners, including nonheterosexual ones, which are frequently treated with heightened suspicion. He also examines ethical issues surrounding masturbation training that aims to regulate individuals’ sexual lives, challenges the perception that those whose sexuality is controlled (or rejected) should not reproduce, and proposes recognition of the right to become parents for adults with intellectual disabilities. A powerfully argued call for sexual and reproductive justice for people with intellectual disabilities, Already Doing It urges a shift away from the compulsion to manage “deviance” (better known today as harm reduction) because the right to pleasure and intellectual disability are not mutually exclusive. In so doing, it represents a vital new contribution to the ongoing debate over who, in the United States, should be allowed to have sex, reproduce, marry, and raise children.Less
Tracing the history of efforts in the United States to limit the sexual freedoms of such persons, using methods such as forced sterilization, invasive birth control, and gender-segregated living arrangements, Michael Gill demonstrates that these widespread practices stemmed from dominant views of disabled sexuality, not least the notion that intellectually disabled women are excessively sexual and fertile while their male counterparts are sexually predatory. Analyzing legal discourses, sex education materials, and news stories going back to the 1970s, Gill shows, for example, that the intense focus on “stranger danger” in sex education for intellectually disabled individuals disregards their ability to independently choose activities and sexual partners, including nonheterosexual ones, which are frequently treated with heightened suspicion. He also examines ethical issues surrounding masturbation training that aims to regulate individuals’ sexual lives, challenges the perception that those whose sexuality is controlled (or rejected) should not reproduce, and proposes recognition of the right to become parents for adults with intellectual disabilities. A powerfully argued call for sexual and reproductive justice for people with intellectual disabilities, Already Doing It urges a shift away from the compulsion to manage “deviance” (better known today as harm reduction) because the right to pleasure and intellectual disability are not mutually exclusive. In so doing, it represents a vital new contribution to the ongoing debate over who, in the United States, should be allowed to have sex, reproduce, marry, and raise children.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
The introduction provides examples of persons with disabilities and their respective sexual encounters. The issues discussed should provoke discussion about what we think about intellectual ...
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The introduction provides examples of persons with disabilities and their respective sexual encounters. The issues discussed should provoke discussion about what we think about intellectual disability, what it means to be sexual, and how all types of individuals can express their sexuality without fear of reprisal and oversight. This work addresses intellectual disability and sexuality, but also attends to larger issues around sexuality for all individuals, regardless of intellectual ability or diagnosis. Sexual ableism as a theory articulates how different types of bodies, regardless of labels of intellectual disability, experience oversight and regulation of sexual and reproductive behaviors.Less
The introduction provides examples of persons with disabilities and their respective sexual encounters. The issues discussed should provoke discussion about what we think about intellectual disability, what it means to be sexual, and how all types of individuals can express their sexuality without fear of reprisal and oversight. This work addresses intellectual disability and sexuality, but also attends to larger issues around sexuality for all individuals, regardless of intellectual ability or diagnosis. Sexual ableism as a theory articulates how different types of bodies, regardless of labels of intellectual disability, experience oversight and regulation of sexual and reproductive behaviors.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
Sex education materials are prescriptive (or normalizing) in their sanctioned approach of sexuality for people with intellectual disabilities, even though individuals express their sexuality in ways ...
More
Sex education materials are prescriptive (or normalizing) in their sanctioned approach of sexuality for people with intellectual disabilities, even though individuals express their sexuality in ways that are not the “approved” or “sanctioned.” These sex education materials adopt what I call a “harm reduction” approach to sexuality. The almost totalizing focus on reducing harms can distract from equally compelling efforts to equip individuals with sexual knowledge that can facilitate obtaining pleasure and satisfaction from sexuality.Less
Sex education materials are prescriptive (or normalizing) in their sanctioned approach of sexuality for people with intellectual disabilities, even though individuals express their sexuality in ways that are not the “approved” or “sanctioned.” These sex education materials adopt what I call a “harm reduction” approach to sexuality. The almost totalizing focus on reducing harms can distract from equally compelling efforts to equip individuals with sexual knowledge that can facilitate obtaining pleasure and satisfaction from sexuality.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
This chapter explores the ways in which reproductive capabilities of women with intellectual disabilities are understood and represented while remaining mindful of the discourses of control lodged at ...
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This chapter explores the ways in which reproductive capabilities of women with intellectual disabilities are understood and represented while remaining mindful of the discourses of control lodged at a multiplicity of women’s bodies. In addition, the coalitional potential between reproductive justice and disability rights is discussed.Less
This chapter explores the ways in which reproductive capabilities of women with intellectual disabilities are understood and represented while remaining mindful of the discourses of control lodged at a multiplicity of women’s bodies. In addition, the coalitional potential between reproductive justice and disability rights is discussed.
Wendy J. Turner
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526125316
- eISBN:
- 9781526136213
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526125316.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Social History
Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions ...
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Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions recognized today. Intellectual disability was one of those categories, especially in the legal realm, with the most-often used term being idiota. Governmental officials that became aware of properties in distress (unplanted, squatters ruining a site, etc) relieved individuals identified as idiota of their responsibilities and placed them into wardship with guardians, who not only cared for the wards but also their properties. The process of examination and civil ‘diagnosis’ of ability encompassed an individual’s intelligence, memory, cognitive ability, discretion, and, at times, appearance. The medieval terms, while not ‘intellectual disability’, certainly described differences in intellectual ability and used vocabulary appropriate for separate conditions, identifying a faulty memory, weak intelligence, difficult time managing property or goods, issue with coping day-to-day, or inability to have discretion. Medieval legal and administrative arms of the crown and local towns each used their own standards to judge competency and intelligence, yet all of them recognized the same wide variety of intellectual conditions and categories of symptoms for intellectual disabilities and other mental health conditions.Less
Medieval terminology for mental health was a complex matrix of identifiers from legal, medical, and social sources and included terms for many mental, emotional, neurotic and psychotic conditions recognized today. Intellectual disability was one of those categories, especially in the legal realm, with the most-often used term being idiota. Governmental officials that became aware of properties in distress (unplanted, squatters ruining a site, etc) relieved individuals identified as idiota of their responsibilities and placed them into wardship with guardians, who not only cared for the wards but also their properties. The process of examination and civil ‘diagnosis’ of ability encompassed an individual’s intelligence, memory, cognitive ability, discretion, and, at times, appearance. The medieval terms, while not ‘intellectual disability’, certainly described differences in intellectual ability and used vocabulary appropriate for separate conditions, identifying a faulty memory, weak intelligence, difficult time managing property or goods, issue with coping day-to-day, or inability to have discretion. Medieval legal and administrative arms of the crown and local towns each used their own standards to judge competency and intelligence, yet all of them recognized the same wide variety of intellectual conditions and categories of symptoms for intellectual disabilities and other mental health conditions.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
I explore a long history of masturbation training in the field of intellectual disability as one of the ways that individuals are taught to be sexual, effectively making expressions of sexuality a ...
More
I explore a long history of masturbation training in the field of intellectual disability as one of the ways that individuals are taught to be sexual, effectively making expressions of sexuality a solitary act seen to reduce behavioral issues in the group home and institution. I argue in this chapter that the discourse around masturbation reveals the ways in which the sexuality of certain populations continues to be regulated as deviant and dangerous as well as inappropriate to reproduce.Less
I explore a long history of masturbation training in the field of intellectual disability as one of the ways that individuals are taught to be sexual, effectively making expressions of sexuality a solitary act seen to reduce behavioral issues in the group home and institution. I argue in this chapter that the discourse around masturbation reveals the ways in which the sexuality of certain populations continues to be regulated as deviant and dangerous as well as inappropriate to reproduce.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
Characters with intellectual disabilities largely act as metaphors to facilitate unification of heterosexual family units. A character often symbolizes constructs of love, devotion, and family to ...
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Characters with intellectual disabilities largely act as metaphors to facilitate unification of heterosexual family units. A character often symbolizes constructs of love, devotion, and family to others. An individual’s sexual agency is secondary to their ability to inspire their family members and friends to overcome their own personal crises and conflicts.Less
Characters with intellectual disabilities largely act as metaphors to facilitate unification of heterosexual family units. A character often symbolizes constructs of love, devotion, and family to others. An individual’s sexual agency is secondary to their ability to inspire their family members and friends to overcome their own personal crises and conflicts.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
This chapter discusses an episode of the Internet reality television series The Specials, where a young-adult man with an intellectual disability expresses sexual desire for a group of Thai kathoey ...
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This chapter discusses an episode of the Internet reality television series The Specials, where a young-adult man with an intellectual disability expresses sexual desire for a group of Thai kathoey performers, The Lady Boys of Bangkok. I argue that intellectually disabled sexuality challenges sexually ableist, heteronormative understandings of sexuality.Less
This chapter discusses an episode of the Internet reality television series The Specials, where a young-adult man with an intellectual disability expresses sexual desire for a group of Thai kathoey performers, The Lady Boys of Bangkok. I argue that intellectually disabled sexuality challenges sexually ableist, heteronormative understandings of sexuality.
Michael Gill
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816682973
- eISBN:
- 9781452950679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816682973.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
When we assume to know what is best for others, this knowledge can often actively hide or deny individual sexual self-determination. The challenge is to continue to forward sexual pleasure and desire ...
More
When we assume to know what is best for others, this knowledge can often actively hide or deny individual sexual self-determination. The challenge is to continue to forward sexual pleasure and desire in sex education materials, to continue partnerships with disability justice and reproductive justice, to advocate for and believe in coalitions that enable equitable and accessible futures.Less
When we assume to know what is best for others, this knowledge can often actively hide or deny individual sexual self-determination. The challenge is to continue to forward sexual pleasure and desire in sex education materials, to continue partnerships with disability justice and reproductive justice, to advocate for and believe in coalitions that enable equitable and accessible futures.
