Why is the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities often
deemed "risky" or "inappropriate" by teachers, parents, support
staff, medical professionals, judges, and the media? Should sexual
citizenship depend on IQ? Confronting such questions head-on,
Already Doing It exposes the "sexual ableism" that denies the
reality of individuals who, despite the restrictions they face,
actively make decisions about their sexual lives. 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, he 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, who 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.
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