BY: SAMANTHA TAPP
What do you consider human necessities? Eating, drinking water and sleeping, probably. If that was your list, you’re forgetting about something else: sex. No, you don’t need it to survive (well, some might argue otherwise), but the natural desire that controls the actions of so many people is both healthy and generally a requirement for most to be happy. It’s probably on your mind for a good part of the day, but if your mind seems to drift to an unsexual thought, not to fret, sex is everywhere. Movies, television, books, ads, in any (and every) social setting and conversation, and last but not least, the holy grail of sex: the internet.
The good ol’ world wide web is where horny people go to find whatever fetish tickles their fancy. You can basically find anything online; however, one group is underrepresented. Disabled people are not only seemingly ignored in the porn industry, but pretty much represented in every other form of media as non-sexual beings. This is obviously bullshit. Even if the media chooses to shy away from acknowledging their sexual desires, they are, of course, just as prevalent as any other sex-hungry person’s.
A German political party knows this. Germany’s Green Party has just proposed a program that would allow disabled people to use public funds to pay for the services of sex workers. In other words, Germany wants their disabled citizens to be able to get it on with a prostitute and they’ll cover the cost. This wouldn’t be completely groundbreaking, as prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002.
According to BBC, Elisabeth Scharfenberg, a spokesperson for Germany’s left-wing Green Party, told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that she “could imagine” local authorities paying for “sexual assistance.”
Don’t freak out, there would be regulations, it’s not a free for all. The disabled people applying for the funds would have to receive medical certificates proving that they can’t get sexual satisfaction in another way, along with documentation that shows they lack the personal funds to hire a sex worker.
Germany is the most recent country to visit the idea, but they aren’t the first. In the Netherlands it’s possible to claim the cost of sexual services as a medical expense. The Dutch government doesn’t actually say they will give you cash for sex workers, but it’s widely known that citizens do use government disability grants for sex services. And four years ago in the UK, campaigner Chris Fulton, who has cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, was asking the government for a similar program that Germany is suggesting.
Dr. Tuppy Owens of the Sexual Health and Disability Alliance told Broadly it’s a matter of disabled people having the same sexual desires as everyone, but not having equal opportunity to fulfill them. He also notes that a common misconception is that paying sex workers is solely about immediate pleasure.
“Often, disabled people use sex workers to help them move on, so they can find a partner,” Owens told Broadly. “The sex worker can help them gain sexual confidence and understand how to please a partner. When they know how to be a good lover, they can find someone to date. Because most disabled people don’t want to have to pay for sex for the rest of their lives.”
Germany hasn’t settled on any final decisions, but think of it this way: for years people were pissed off about doctors giving out marijuana licenses as a form of pain relief, now it’s not only widely accepted, but the benefits have been proven to far outweigh any negatives. You can assume there will also be more pros than cons with a sex prescription.
