Following on from my previous blogs, I have been somewhat intrigued by the level of interest that has been shown in the subject matter, namely disabled people and sex. Normally, I would be pleased to hear that disabled issues were being discussed but unfortunately most of what I have heard has not been very positive.
Having listened to a discussion on this subject on BBC Radio 5 Live it is evident that the topic is not as clear cut as everyone thinks and I feel that there are three main issues/questions that are raised by my blogs and I wanted to clarify these.
If a local authority is paying in full for a disabled person together with the support that is needed to go to Amsterdam to have sex, then I think that this is quite questionable and is something that I do not entirely agree with.
If a local authority is paying for the disabled person to have sex in Amsterdam due to the barriers faced by the disabled person that impacts on their ability to form personal relationships including those of a sexual nature, then we have to look at the motives further. Is it that Holland has been chosen because they have a more liberal attitude towards sex and a better level of disability equality? If so, then this argument would be extremely questionable and we have to ask ourselves whether the local authority would pay for a non-disabled person to travel to Amsterdam for sex purely because they may find it equally challenging to form personal relationships. I suspect the answer to this one would be a resounding no and therefore taking a different view towards the disabled person is clearly discriminatory against the non-disabled person.
If a local authority is purely paying for the support that enables the disabled person to travel to Amsterdam for sex but the disabled person meets the cost of the actual sex service and their travel etc, then this is more understandable and one that I would fully endorse. This option can be seen as an extension of independent living and disability equality. The fact that the act itself takes place in Amsterdam is irrelevant as the venue has been chosen as it is legal there and is not so in the UK.
It is extremely concerning that we may all be making assumptions on this subject without being in possession of the full facts but the attitudes and solutions to this difficult issue must be examined closely to ensure that a fair and understandable outcome is attained. I do feel it may be almost impossible to find a solution that is beyond scrutiny and the moral outrage of many.
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