Sexual Independence as Collective Performance in Sex Education and Assistance for Disabled People

This chapter explores independence and collectivity in the context of sexuality and disability. Drawing on the case of sex education and assistance programs in Germany and Austria, the analysis examines how these programs seek to counteract the cultural de-sexualization of disabled individuals while simultaneously reinforcing normative constructs of sexuality and independence. Using a scene from ethnographic fieldwork at an industry event as an example, this chapter highlights how “sexual independence” is collectively performed through situated interactions involving disabled individuals, sex assistants, moderators, and audiences. These performances reveal a tension between fostering sexual independence and relying on collective processes that paradoxically underline structural dependencies. Through the lens of problematization, this chapter shows how programs of sex education and assistance produce categories of individuals with specific needs, legitimizing their services while simultaneously constructing “disabled sexuality” as both a social problem and a site of collective action. A key focus is placed on how disabled individuals are positioned within these performances – not only as sexual beings but also as representatives of broader human categories, such as gender and disability. This work contributes to discussions on dis/ability, sexuality, and human differentiation, emphasizing the ambivalent interplay between liberation, subjectification, and the collective dynamics underpinning sexual autonomy.

Boll. T./ Brunnengräber, M. (2026): Sexual Independence as Collective Performance in Sex Education and Assistance for Disabled People. S. 143–158 in: Backhausen, E./Kreuser, M./Wihstutz, B. (Hg.): Independence and Collectivity. Configurations of Dis/ability Performance. London/New York: Routledge.