TW for discussions of Rape

• Because the likelihood of having my symptoms taken seriously is increased if I present male
• Because the statistics on the risk of sexual assault and rape for people with disabilities have been listed as high as 80%.
• Because I’ve been told that my rape doesn’t count because it involved a doctor and a medical instrument.
• Because I’ve been told that people with disabilities can’t be raped because no one wants to have sex with them.
• Because discussions about body positivity never seem to include sick and damaged bodies.
• Because the social concept of “sexiness” excludes those of us with physical disability.
• Because my bodily autonomy being in question puts my life at risk.
• Because the standard doses, side effects, and risks for my medication were not determined with my body in mind but was based on how cis males (usually white) reacted.
• Because my symptoms were ignored for years because of medically assumptions about cis female bodies that turned out to be false.
• Because the first question whenever I go into the hospital is always “Are you sure you are not pregnant”. Always.
• Because every medical form I’ve ever seen only gives me the options male or female under gender.
• Because even sex positive folk rarely discuss the difficulties faced by disabled people when it comes to sex: physical issues, the need for preparation, the desexualisation we face by society, etc.

If you have more reasons, I would love to hear them in the comments. If you are a person of colour, I would love to hear reasons why disability is also a race issue.