Is Sex a Good Thing for Men with Learning Disabilities?

Abstract

Sex has increasingly been constructed as a problem for men with learning disabilities. Research has focused on their vulnerability to abuse and their capacity to exploit. There are also the additional fears of their sexual activity leading to HIV infection or pregnancy. Notions of sexual rights and sexual pleasure are lost in such a discourse. This paper looks in detail at the actual experience of sex for men with learning disabilities, based on qualitative interviews. It paints a very uncomfortable picture, leading to the title question: is sex a good thing for men with learning disabilities?

Citation

Thompson, D. (2001), "Is Sex a Good Thing for Men with Learning Disabilities?", Tizard Learning Disability Review, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 4-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/13595474200100002