On 7th February, BOP hosted a conversation that still feels rare: sex…and disability. 

In the run up to the opening our new production (We indulge in) a bit of roll play, BOP brought together professionals and academics in sex and sexuality, disabled artists, and audience members for a day of discussion instigated through panels and time dedicated to creating space to talk about disabled desire, access and representation. let’s talk about sex (and disability) was an opportunity to come together across a range of disciplines, backgrounds and lived experiences to hear each other’s perspective.

What made the day powerful wasn’t just the content of the discussion, it was the atmosphere. Disabled people were able to gather in a space which felt open, encouraging, and positive. Participants were able to speak candidly, and questions were asked without apology. Experiences were affirmed rather than interrogated. We did not not record or document because we wanted to create a genuinely safe and supportive space.  

“The sex and disability day was such a delight to be a part of. To be in a room of people affirming their experiences with each other whilst also looking at how much work society outside of that room needs to put in was enriching and a space of such care. As a performance artist I’m hugely thrilled that BOP are bringing work like (We indulge in) a bit of roll play to Scotland and general audiences and cannot wait to see the piece myself.” Sophie McCarthy, Storyteller

In a world where sex and sexuality are constantly present on stage, screen and across literature, it remains strikingly rare to see it explored through a disabled lens. Disabled bodies are so often desexualised, medicalised or treated as a metaphor. What they rarely are is visible in their pleasure, agency and desire. And if they are, it often comes across as “inspiration porn”. 

On day one of rehearsals for (We indulge in) a bit of roll play the whole company entered into a discussion about the assumptions made about sex and disability which was just the tip of an iceberg of judgement!

These assumptions are partly what (We indulge in) a bit of roll play aims to challenge, by placing disabled sex, sexuality and desire front and centre stage. And so it felt fitting and important to also create a space away from the play to open the discussion beyond the stage and into community.

Panel 1: Professions working in fields relating to sex and sexuality

Our first panel brought together professionals working across fields relating to sex and sexuality. Joining us was:

Amira Kremers (Somatic Sexologist)
Tabitha Rayne (Author, Artist, Sex Tech Inventor)
Will Park (Owner of The RIG Project)
Lesley Sinton (Advanced Clinical Nurse in Sexual Health)
Kristina Saunders (Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Glasgow, and Trustee of PillowTalk Scotland).

This panel was chaired by musician and composer Sally Clay who is also a trained counsellor and has been collaborating with BOP on the audio description for the production.

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was accessibility and the ways in which sex spaces, services and research often exclude disabled people, whether intentionally or by oversight.

Will spoke about his work making kink events more accessible, sharing practical changes and structural considerations that can transform a space. Kink communities often pride themselves on being progressive, but that doesn’t always translate to accessible spaces. His thoughts shared with us highlighted how inclusion requires active, ongoing work rather than assumptions. 

Tabitha Rayne discussed designing a hands-free sex toy which supports people with dexterity issues or weak wrists. She spoke candidly about feeling isolated and believing that sex toys “weren’t for her” until she began designing products that worked with her body instead of against it. Her story reframed access not as compromise, but as creative innovation, proof that designing for disabled bodies can actually expand possibilities for everyone.

Amira reflected on her somatic sexology practice and the ways she adapts her approach depending on individual access needs. Much of her work centres physicality and embodied experience, and she discussed how this translates when working with disabled bodies: shifting focus, pace and technique according to each person’s lived reality. Rather than treating disability as an obstacle, her work recognises it as part of the whole person.

Lesley outlined how Sandyford Clinic works to meet different access requirements in practice. This can include extending appointment times when interpretation is needed, relocating appointments to accessible rooms, and working collaboratively with patients to support sexual autonomy (for example exploring pleasure, navigating relationships or making decisions about having children). The conversation acknowledged both the systems in place and the work still required to dismantle structural barriers within healthcare.

Christine highlighted how disability continues to be marginalised in sexual health research. Funding bodies, institutional priorities and gatekeeping practices all shape what gets studied and whose experiences are considered valuable. The panel raised urgent questions about who decides what research is “worthy” of investment, and how that shapes public understanding of sex and disability.

Across the discussion, it was clear that access cannot be seen or treated as an afterthought, it is vital that it is embedded in design, policy and creative practice from the outset, and in doing this it can create possibilities for all people. 

Panel 1: Disabled Artists

The second panel shifted focus to disabled artists whose work explores sex, intimacy and embodiment. This panel was chaired by our Artistic Director Robert Softley Gale.

Sophie McCarthy spoke about the difficulty of securing funding for work that deals explicitly with sex and sexuality, and particularly when that work is made by disabled artists. Despite the fact that these conversations are necessary, nuanced and culturally urgent, mainstream funding bodies can remain cautious.

Anne Kjær, Associate Artist for BOP on (We indulge in) a bit of roll play, discussed their body-centred practice, and work which interrogates the body, its limits and its possibilities. For Anne, the body is the gateway to pleasure, and a way to reconnect to eroticism and pleasure. Their reflections emphasised how disability reshapes exploration, shifting assumptions about what physicality can look like in performance.

Simon Jay spoke about disabled desire, and how this had fed into his work as a playwright, and discussed his most recent play The Sunshine Spa which explores sex but also touch (and how non-disabled perspectives often frame certain kinds of touch as automatically intimate). He described the freedom of the day:

Indrid Heron, one of the Epilogue performers in (We indulge in) a bit of roll play, the reflected on the reactions to incorporating their cane into performances. They noted that reactions would be positive but there was also some interesting points that would come from it; some people would see the cane as a fashion/prop choice and then after a performance would react in surprise: “oh, you’re disabled!”. They noted a real sense of positive reactions to this visibility, and a delight in seeing a mobility aid incorporated into performance. 

Jen McGregor raised questions around representation, noting how disabled narratives on stage often begin at “Disability 101”, which means explaining the basics to non-disabled audiences. There was a shared frustration that disabled artists are frequently required to educate before they can create. What if we started at “Disability 102”? What if disabled characters were allowed to explore more complex and nuanced issues without having to explain disability all over again. 

Continuing the Conversation

What emerged across both panels was not a single conclusion, but a shared sense of momentum. The day allowed a space for disabled people to speak openly about pleasure, autonomy and desire – topics which are so often policed, sanitised or erase. It also connected artists, practitioners, researchers and healthcare professionals that we hope may continue long after the day itself! (We indulge in) a bit of roll play places disabled sexuality unapologetically in front of audiences, and demand visibility without permission.