In Japanese society, sexual minorities, who suffer from various forms of discrimination and disadvantage, have reason to feel solidarity with other marginalised groups, such as persons with disabilities. In the case of transgendered persons, they are actually seen as having a disability, because of the ubiquity of the term GID (gender identity disorder), seidoitsusei shOgai in Japanese, literally meaning gender identity handicap/disability (Nakamura 2012).
The ways in which our bodies are gendered and sexualised are central concerns for queer studies. However, strangely enough, queer studies and activism in Japan has thus far largely overlooked issues concerning the sexuality of physically challenged people (including visually and hearing impaired), except for a few examples (for instance, Fushimi 1996: 139—46). If lesbians and gay men encounter discrimination because of their sexual orientation or desire, then what happens to persons with disabilities whose sexuality itself is rarely recognised in the first place?
In the US context, the intersection of sexual orientation and ability/disability has been critically analysed and discussed. One such early work is Raymond Luczak’s edited essay collection, Eyes of Desire: A Deaf Gay and Lesbian Reader (1993). GLQ, an influential academic journal in queer studies, published a special issue entitled, ‘Desiring Disability: Queer Theory Meets Disability Studies’, in 2003. In contrast, in Japan issues of sexuality have not been a focus, or worse still, have been largely ignored in disability studies. In recent years, a few works that directly concern the sexuality ofpersons with disabilities have started to appear in Japan. Kuramoto Tomoaki’s edited volume Sekushuaritt no shOgaigaku (Disability studies on sexuality) (2005), is one such rare work. Each chapter in the volume, in its own manner, addresses the ways in which the sexuality of persons with disabilities is deemed to be non-existent or different from nonhandicapped persons. What makes this collection so valuable is that it discusses the sexuality of both men and women with disabilities. The sexuality of women with disabilities is one of the least recognised topics within sexuality studies in Japan (Osanai 1995), and the issue merits further discussion and research.
In Japanese society, the term shogaisha (disabled person) has gained common currency. Alongside the prevalence of the term shogaisha is an attitude of political correctness that the public is supposed to show with regard to persons with disabilities. Until recently, there was a sense that disabled people were ‘handicapped’, and thus in need of help and care. It is indeed true that many disabled people require various kinds of support and assistance from others in order to carry out their daily activities. What is problematic, however, is that this sort of common-sense idea helps create the assumption that all people with disabilities wish to have the same lifestyle as able-bodied people: that is, to have a ‘normal’ life. As a consequence, their lifestyle is rendered abnormal and in need of rehabilitation through the assistance of able-bodied people. In the context of sexuality, even if the sexuality of persons with disabilities is recognised, it is often assumed to be heterosexual. In this vein, the discrimination facing many queers with disabilities is compounded. They need to first fight against society’s ignorance of the issues concerning sexuality and disability in general, and also need to challenge the heteronormative assumptions prevalent within medical and care-providing facilities and institutions.
Kumagaya Shin’ichiro’s book, Rihabiri no yoru (Midnight rehab) (2009) set a new milestone for thinking about issues of sexuality and disability in more complex terms. As a medical practitioner who also has a disability, Kumagaya candidly addresses his own perverse sexual desires and experiences, including sadomasochism — desires which do not necessarily fall into the category of normative sexuality. Kumagaya’s book helps debunk the myth that all disabled people wish to be or be perceived as ‘normal’ in terms of their own sexuality. The productive merger of sexual minority studies and disability studies in Japan has not been rigorously pursued thus far, and more intersectional analysis across the two fields is an urgent task.