A Quick and Easy Guide to Sex and Disability Cover
Title: A Quick and Easy Guide to Sex and Disability
Creators: Format: EBook Print
Color: Color
Romanceiness: LGBTQ+ Elements
Heat: R
Tags: queer disability disabled character disabled creator
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Synopsis from the Creator:

A quick, easy, and educational comic book guide that will help change the way we talk about sex and sexuality for all bodies.

"This guide can help disabled people (and their partners) on their journey toward self-love, better communication, and confidence." –– Alice Wong, Founder and Director, Disability Visibility Project

All different kinds of bods want to connect with other bods, but lots of them get left out of the conversation when it comes to S-E-X. As explained by disabled cartoonist A. Andrews, this easy-to-read guide covers the basics of disability sexuality, common myths about disabled bodies, communication tips, and practical suggestions for having the best sexual experience possible. Whether you yourself are disabled, you love someone who is, or you just want to know more, consider this your handy starter kit to understanding disability sexuality, and your path to achieving accessible (and fulfilling) sex.

Part of the bestselling and critically acclaimed A Quick & Easy Guide series from Limerence Press, an imprint of Oni Press.

Review: The Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability, by A. Andrews

[fa icon="calendar"] Apr 22, 2020 9:45:00 AM / by Suzanne

Entry Number Three in the Quick and Easy Guides series from Oni Press/Limerence focuses on sex and disability. Unlike the previous two books, They/Them Pronouns and Queer and Trans Identities, this book seems more targeted toward disabled readers rather than an informative guide for abled readers. Topics include defining disability, consent, rejection, modifications for various disabilities and, largely, communication.

Readers should be aware that the book focuses mostly on physical disability and while the author describes ways to make sex easier and more pleasurable for different bodies, it's nearly impossible to give enough specifics to be a truly How-To style book. For example, Andrews discusses how props like wedges can be useful for attaining good positioning or how to communicate with partners about areas without sensation, but different bodies will need different types of props and will experience different ranges of sensation. Bodies have different combinations of physical attributes that need different accommodations. What works for one body will probably not work for another. (This is common in all bodies!) The only issue here is that since the book is a Quick and Easy guide, a lot of time is spent on the most important aspects - communication and emotions - readers seeking specific ways to accommodate their body or that of a partner will be a little disappointed. The hardest part is talking, and I think Andrews did a good job with that. After all, open communication with partners, doctors, caregivers... it's a lot! It is definitely useful for abled partners to read about the communication barriers and need for ongoing communication prior to, during, and after sexual interaction, but don't go into the book expecting lessons on how to pleasure a disabled partner's body. For that, you'll have to ask. Again, that's the most important part.

Unlike the first two books, the panels and illustrations are larger and text boxes have less detail. I would have preferred something more in the style of the first, but my disabilities aren't physical in the first place (other than sensory issues), so I'm not sure I'm the best judge of how this book serves readers.

In all, these books are relatively inexpensive and, in addition to individual readers, I still encourage libraries and caregivers' offices to purchase the series. Hopefully, just seeing physical proof that the sexual desires of disabled people are important enough to warrant a book will help shift perceptions and improve communication. All readers deserve to see themselves and to know that their pleasure is important and I'm glad this book is in the world.

 

I received a digital copy of this book for review.

Topics: review