Destigmatizing disability

TCraig Takeuchi

he sexuality of people with disabilities is underrepresented—or not represented at all—in contemporary culture, which can lead to people with disabilities either feeling invisible or being treated like an anomaly when it comes to their sexual lives.

However, a Toronto advocate has been raising awareness about sex and disabled people, and a Canadian film about him and his work is now available for online viewing.

On November 19, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) released Jari Osborne’s short documentary “Picture This” for free online streaming. (Osborne’s previous NFB documentaries include Unwanted Soldiers and Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story.)

The 33-minute film profiles Toronto disability-awareness consultant and podcaster Andrew Gurza—who identifies himself as a “queer cripple”— as he prepares for the second edition of a sex-positive play party, which has been labelled a “handicapped orgy” by the media and garnered international coverage.

Gurza held a discussion in Vancouver in 2016 in conjunction with Vancouver queer organization Health Initiative for Men that was filmed for and is featured in the documentary.

Among the topics Gurza discusses in the documentary is the awkwardness and discomfort he has witnessed potential sex partners being unable to hide (not to mention his own heartbreak) once they find out he is disabled. In addition, he talks about the challenges of being both gay and disabled.

“Picture This” can be viewed at www. nfb.ca/film/picture_this/, and is also available on itunes and Amazon.