Love, Sex and Relationships

It is difficult to know the history of love, sex and relationships of people labelled as having intellectual disabilities. Partly this is because many people who get labelled today might not have been in the past, and their relationships would be the same as (or as varied as) those of other people without labels. For people who were labelled, there are few records of their relationships. However, we do know that even two hundred years ago people who were legally declared as having intellectual disabilities also fell in love, got married and had children.

There were some very common beliefs about people labelled as having disabilities and sex, though. Both men and women were often thought to be very physical and to have many sexual partners. These ideas are especially noticeable in stories, poems and plays (see Media Studies). Usually, though, these beliefs did not mean that people labelled as having intellectual disabilities were restricted in their love life (in some cases, it might have helped). Restrictions to peopleÕs private relationships became a big issue only about one hundred and fifty years ago.

Sex and Eugenics

In 1859, Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species, which described the theory of evolution (see Science and Medicine). As scientists and other powerful people in society began to wonder about heredity, some of them also started to think that people labelled as having disabilities should not have children. They thought that these children would also be disabled and that they would make the society unhealthy.

This way of thinking became more common as years passed, and by 1900 the idea of eugenics was becoming quite well known. The idea behind eugenics meant that only people who were fully healthy, according to the definitions of society, should have children. (See Science and Medicine for more information on eugenics). This idea had a very big negative impact on the lives of people labelled as having disabilities.

Restricted Rights

Because of eugenic ideas, people labelled as having disabilities were often forbidden sex, relationships and even love. When people were sent to institutions, the men and women were kept apart from one another. Women who had children without being married were also often placed in institutions because they were considered intellectually disabled and a threat to society. Some powerful members of society were afraid that there would be too many people with intellectual disabilities, and many other people also shared this belief. As a result, the rights of people labelled as having disabilities were taken away.

Sterilization

In some parts of the world (including parts of Canada and the United States) many people who were labelled were sterilized so that they could never have children. Most laws for sterilization were passed in the 1920s; they continued to be enforced until the 1970s. (See Self-Advocacy for information about the Eve case; also see Love, Sex and Relationships)

Defending Relationships

Today, people labelled as having disabilities still face many prejudices in having relationships and families, but there are fewer obstacles than there used to be. As they did two hundred years ago, people labelled as having disabilities can once again fall in love, have relationships, and enjoy sex. However, the prejudices that existed in the second half of the 1800s and most of the 1900s still exist today, and the rights that have been won in recent years must still be defended carefully.

PRESS

TO RETURN TO CONTENTS