Chapter 1
Sexuality and gender identity in the lives of young, disabled LGBT+ persons
Initiating a dialogue
Alex Toft and Anita Franklin
Introduction
This volume is a collection of 13 chapters, three pieces of original artwork and three section introductions which specifically explore disability, sexuality and gender identity in the lives of young people alongside connected debates. The book presents work that aims to amplify the voices of young people and centralises their experiences in debates that affect their lives. By exploring age, sexuality and disability in such an intersectional manner, the collection aims to shed light on how such identities inform and impact upon each other. Although these three aspects are the focus, due to the expertise of the contributors, the international nature of the volume and the emerging nature of this area of research, this is done in relation to a number of perspectives and life paths (including education, personal experiences, activism and broader social life). Furthermore, the collection is multi-disciplinary, with contributions from those working in an academic context (sociology, psychology, youth studies) but also those working in practice (e.g., education and psychology). Most importantly, although the majority of chapters are either written using experiences of young people or reflections on personal experiences, the entire book is framed with contributions from young people themselves. Poetry, diaries and artwork introduce each section, reminding readers of the real importance of the collection, the lives of young disabled LGBT+1 people, and listening and working to ensure greater understanding to promote inclusion.
Whilst the book is multi-disciplinary, it is also important to note that there are no chapters which pertain to a medicalised view of disability (or indeed sexuality), and the aim is not to pathologise the lives of young disabled LGBT+ people. There are no contributions that seek to question the validity of sexuality or gender identity in the lives of young disabled people. Work which questions young people’s agency and ignores their experiences does not represent sound research and is rooted in phobia and bias. We do not accept the argument that it is acceptable to question people’s lives and identities in pursuit of presumed academic freedom. Claiming that transphobia and homophobia (for example) are worthwhile pursuits and that such discourse will enable more critical thinking is flawed and ultimately revolves around a belief that young disabled LGBT+ people do not exist.
The book does not claim to cover all identities or debates either; an edited volume can rarely address all issues pertaining to its general focus. As an emerging area of research, the chapters represent an overview of some of the important work that is currently taking place, but they are not an entire cross-section. It is worth noting here, for example, that work with young disabled people who identify as asexual are not represented in the book (see Cuthbert, 2017). Most chapters also tend to see sexuality with regards to ‘non-heterosexuality’ rather than specific identities. Again, such work is occurring (see Toft and Franklin, 2020 for an example of an exploration of bisexuality). We feel that this kind of work is much needed, but due to the overall desexualisation of disabled people, such powerful collective identities (LGBT+ for example) are important in exposing misunderstandings.
The book emphasises empirical research but includes important theoretical work in order to emphasise the importance of ongoing research in this area. There are contributions from the UK, United States, India and Australia in order to provide more insight into how different nations and cultures approach such identities. For example, disability studies is largely skewed towards white, Western adult populations (see Chapter 2), and the voices and experiences from countries outside of the UK, United States, Canada and Australia are rarely heard. Whilst we do not claim that this largely academic text is accessible to all, it is an important step in opening up such debates.
As is traditionally the case, the introduction will detail the contributions individually, highlighting the aims and the potential impact that they will have. However, as this is clearly an emerging area of research, the introduction will first present three themes or aspects that this book contributes to as a whole, in relation to existing research:
First, the book specifically contributes to debates surrounding LGBT+ identities in disabled people’s lives.
Second, considerations of disabled childhood and youth studies, and in particular the importance of listening to disabled young people’s experiences.
Finally, we highlight some of the compounding discrimination and abuses that impact on many aspects of the lives of this group of young people; these experiences weave through many of the accounts given by the young people who have contributed to these chapters.
Identity in the lives of young disabled LGBT+ people – how it is negotiated, understood and enacted in everyday life – was in many ways the starting point for this entire project. We wanted to understand young people’s experiences in particular, as we felt this was a period of change and questioning in people’s lives. However, the disparity between disabled and non-disabled people’s lives with regards to sexuality is stark. The literature is clear that disabled people continue to be de-sexualised and presented as childlike in disclosure concerning sexuality (see Liddiard, 2017; Gill, 2015). Combined with the fact that disabled people’s voices are rarely heard in relation to sexuality and gender identity (Morgan et al., 2011), such presentations of sexuality in disabled people’s lives are rarely based upon experiences.
Foregrounding the experiences of young disabled LGBT+ people does reveal stories of discrimination, misunderstanding and non-acceptance. Any sexuality and gender identity outside of the prevalent heteronormative is reduced to a phase through which young people will emerge. We have proposed that this is in part due to misconceptions surrounding age (immaturity) and disability (e.g., they are incapable of being LGBT+ or their sexuality/gender identity is a result of their disability) (Toft et al., 2019a). Yet research needs to continually ask what disability tells us about sexuality. It is clear, for example, that disability reveals a prevailing sense of non-normality with regards to LGBT+ identities. Disabled people are in this scenario in need of ‘protection’ against such non-normative identities which are revealed as being not suitable for them (Toft et al., 2019a, 2019b). Of course, this exposes a viewpoint that anything other than heterosexual and/or binary identities are somehow flawed. The chapters in this volume all show an awareness that such exploration begins from a position of discrimination and misunderstanding, yet we hope that in foregrounding experiences the book can speak to the positive way in which young disabled LGBT+ people challenge and re-shape understandings around age, sexuality, gender identity and disability.
In the last few decades, disabled childhood studies as a distinct discipline emerged in part as a response to the multi-dimensional exclusion of many disabled children and young people within research studies and the need to better understand the everyday lives of this group. It could also be argued that it sought to counterbalance the overwhelming medicalised and pathologising studies which had thus far excluded disabled children and young people from active roles in research. The dominant research discourse had often been one of ‘being done to’ and passivity rather than a discourse of facilitating voices and learning from lived experiences, moving through to empowerment, ‘working with’ or disabled children being in a position of control within research agendas and processes (Franklin and Martin, 2018; Shakespeare and Watson, 1998). At this time it was important to centre disabled children’s voices and experiences to ensure their active inclusion in research. Important studies emerged, although they predominantly focused on service and support provision or impairment-related subjects. Scholars, however, highlight the limitations of this narrow focus and expressed the need not to consider disabled children and young people a homogenous group. As disabled childhood studies continues to grow, the importance of looking at intersectional identities and issues – such as the focus of this book – adds depth and colour to our understanding of disabled young people’s lives. It is also challenging dominant discourses which have served to render disabled young people as incompetent or lacking in capacity both to be commentators on their often complex lives or to take part in research. The chapters in this book illustrate that disabled young people negotiate complex multiple identities, can articulate their (often distressing) experiences and have many suggestions for change to eliminate discrimination and exclusion.
Despite the young people in these studies coming from different countries, growing up in different circumstances and having diverse identities, collectively their accounts across this book highlight many shared experiences. There are consistent underlying issues that have emerged across the chapters and which appear to underpin many of the lives of this group of young people. These issues have not necessarily been the specific focus of these studies, but they have appeared multiple times in young people’s voices and thus warrant attention. Issues include astonishing levels of discrimination based on the triad of minority statuses: being young, being LBGT+ and being disabled. In a significant number of accounts, young people have openly talked about experiencing physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Similarly, poor mental health and a lack of support to address this scatter across the lives of the young people. We hear of young people becoming isolated, not feeling part of communities (or being ostracised) and experiencing difficulties within their family relationships as a result of who they are. The young people report hiding their identities and experiencing a lack of agency and power in their lives, despite all having rights as children, as disabled people and as LGBT+ people to protection, participation and provision which is often secured in international and national laws.
This is a depressing synopsis; however, its significance and impact on the young people’s lives is important to recognise. In many of the studies contained within the book, young people have been given open opportunities to discuss their lives and have highlighted these issues, thus they all warrant further exploration as we begin to explore and better understand the lives of this group of young people. Only through understanding and listening to the multi-dimensional nature of discrimination at the intersection of being young, disabled and LGBT+ can we highlight these injustices and move forward to achieving equality. Of course, it is important not to simply focus on the negative aspects of young people’s lives. Across the young people’s accounts it can also been seen that the young people have shown considerable strength, resilience and resourcefulness in overcoming many of these issues. There are also accounts of advocacy and collective action to address the societal, structural and cultural barriers young disabled LGBT+ people face on micro, meso and macro levels. Moving forward in the development of this relatively new area of study, research should embrace further examination of how this positive action can facilitate change.
Of equal importance is always to be mindful of whose voices and experiences are still, or are being, silenced. It is hoped that this book centres our attention on disabled LGBT+ young people, and encourages further exploration, understanding and improvements in the quality of their lives. With any newly emerging area of study there are always gaps in our understanding; we recognise that the following aspects also play a part in shaping the identities and life experiences of this group of young people and warrant further investigation. The following aspects have been beyond the scope of this collection: the impact of class, poverty, ethnicity, religion, geography, access to resources and means of expression and communication, to name only a few. We ...
