Disabled Australians on love, lust and the right to intimacy
The article explores the experiences of disabled Australians navigating love, sex, and parenting, highlighting personal stories of individuals embracing intimacy and family life despite societal barriers. It emphasizes the importance of autonomy, representation, and support for disabled people in matters of relationships and reproduction. The narratives challenge stereotypes that often infantilize or sexualize disabled individuals while advocating for greater inclusion and understanding.
- ▪Jacqueline Tedmanson, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, continues to burlesque dance during pregnancy and advocates for disabled parents' rights to raise children.
- ▪Debra Keenahan, who has achondroplasia, welcomed her daughter having the same condition and found it easier to relate as a parent with shared lived experience.
- ▪People with disabilities in Australia face systemic barriers to intimacy, including assumptions about their parenting abilities and higher risks of sexual violence and forced sterilisation.
- ▪Comedian Madeleine Stewart highlights that disabled people are often denied space to explore their sexuality and challenges the stigma around disabled parenthood.
- ▪Approximately 21% of Australians live with a disability, yet they encounter greater challenges in accessing sexual health resources and family planning support.
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Spilling the tea on love, lust and everything in betweenBy Eleanor BeidatschCompassTopic:People With DisabilitySun 17 May 2026 at 5:35amSun 17 May 2026 at 5:35amSun 17 May 2026 at 5:35amJacqueline Tedmanson, aka Diana Divine, five months pregnant, still burlesque dancing and showing how mobility aids can be really sexy. (Compass: Morgan Timms)abc.net.au/news/spilling-the-tea-on-love-lust-and-everything-in-between/106686286Link copiedShareShare articleIt's a stormy February night in Adelaide, and Jacqueline Tedmanson is at the hospital with her partner Jackson, waiting to meet their first baby.Despite having a disability, Jacqueline isn't nervous about the birth.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).