Crip-queer intimacy, alliance and activism: towards holistic sexuality education in Taiwan

Abstract

This study investigates the significance of sexuality education for individuals with disabilities in Taiwan. It highlights the importance of understanding sexuality as a fundamental aspect of identity, encompassing intimate relationships and connection to others. Since the implementation of the Gender Equity Education Act in 2004, Taiwan has made efforts to include comprehensive sexuality education in the school curriculum and integrate disabled students into mainstream education. However, disabled individuals still face barriers due to ableism and heteronormativity, which impede their access to sexual and reproductive health services, including sexuality education. To address this issue, we conducted a qualitative investigation using narrative and policy data, drawing on Scott’s phenomenology of nothingness and crip theory to explore the intersection of sexualities and disabilities in educational contexts. Our findings reveal that individuals with disabilities in Taiwan often rely on pornography and other erotic materials as informal sources of sex education. Hand Angels, a volunteer-based group established in 2013, has been actively promoting sexual rights within disability rights organisations, advocating for a comprehensive, sex-positive, pleasure-focused, and rights-based approach to sexuality education. However, there are still gaps in knowledge production and policy implementation, which systematically deny people with disabilities their right to sexual agency.