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Young Men with Physical Disabilities Struggle for Digital Sex(uality)

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Online Othering

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity ((PSCYBER))

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Abstract

Previous studies have found that people with disabilities experience sexual othering in offline contexts. However, little is known about how they engage in sexual practices online. This chapter advances arguments on sexual othering and digital media use for sex(uality) by young people with physical disabilities. It draws on an ethnographic study conducted in a special school in the UK. The chapter explores how two physically disabled young men evade parental mediation in the home to find, view, and explore sex(uality) online. When digital media technologies are mediated through restrictive parental mediation, young people with physical disabilities can encounter an added layer to the sexual othering process. This is further complicated when their disability intersects with gender and sexuality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Middlesex University London, London, UK

    Herminder Kaur

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  1. Herminder Kaur
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Researcher, Leicester, UK

    Karen Lumsden

  2. Department of Communication and Media, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Emily Harmer

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Kaur, H. (2019). Young Men with Physical Disabilities Struggle for Digital Sex(uality). In: Lumsden, K., Harmer, E. (eds) Online Othering. Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_10

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12632-2

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