a review of the outsiders club screened on bbc 2 in october

A Review of "The Outsiders Club" Screened on BBC 2 in October 96MA
Diploma Disability StudiesINTRODUCTIONI decided to write a review on
the social group known as The Outsiders. The group's main aim is to
enable disabled adults to form personal relationships, including
specifically sexual ones (Shakespeare 1996), either with each other or
with non-disabled members. The group has been in existence for several
years, and has attracted a great deal of attention, including reaction from
present and former members, and in particular from within the Disabled
People's Movement . Many of the comments made by former members of
the group have been critical, sometimes highly condemnatory, and
frequently made by disabled women (Rae 1984).In both my professional
and private capacity I am interested in sexuality and disability, and
specifically in the ways in which disabled adults can establish meaningful
relationships with other people (disabled or on-disabled). Issues such as
sexuality and the forming of relationships are regularly discussed in
mainstream youth and community work, but rarely with regard to disabled
people (which is not surprising since disabled people are often absent
from mainstream groups). Indeed, it is only in the last few years that
disabled people themselves have been in the forefront of this debate, and
the leading protagonist have usually been activists within the wider
disability movement, who are well aware of other social and sexual issues
such as gender, sexism, homophobia, and so on. The Outsiders was set
up (and is still fronted by) an able bodied woman who for many years has
been well known in the controversial arena of sexual liberation and
soft-core pornography, so it is hardly surprising that her group has both
supporters and critics. A recent BBC-2 documentary series (From the
Edge) devoted a whole programme to the group, and this essay picks up
the main themes that were aired.SEXUALITY AND DISABILITYMorris
(1989) writes "once we first become disabled we are usually denied
anyform of sexual identity." It is certainly true that among the many
negative stereotypes of disability some of the most commonly held views

are that disabled people are non-sexual, or sometimes asexual beings, or
that they are likely to be attracted only to each other. THE OUTSIDERS
CLUBThe Outsiders Club was established by Tuppy Owens in 1979.
Tuppy, a self-proclaimed stalwart campaigner for sexual equality, and a
trained sex therapist. She conceived the idea of a social group for
disabled adults after her close male friend, Nigel, became blind. Fearful
of the effect of disability ever afflicting her own life - and blindness in
particular - she became determined to assist Nigel in any way she could.
She began by taking Nigel to parties where she described to him in great
detail what other women were wearing, and took delight in it. She claimed
that this enabled him tohave more fun, as he could imagine what women
were wearing, even though he could not see them. One question raised
by this is: whose needs were being fulfilled? I havealready suggested
that many able-bodied people have quite misguided views concerning
issues of sexuality and disability, so was Tuppy fulfilling a sexual fantasy
of her own, or performing a valid role for her friend? (Shakespeare,
Gillespie-Sells et al. 1996).The club produces its own Practical
Suggestions Guide, a guide considered offensive and oppressive by
some members of the disability movement (Shakespeare, Gillespie-Sells
et al. 1996). The reason for this view is that the guide's content is based
around a medical model of disability which suggests that disabled
people's problems are due to their impairments, not to environmental and
attitudinal factors (Oliver 1996). In other words, in the view of the critics
the guide fails to acknowledge the dominant model of disability which is
widely propagated by the disability movement. There is a 'medical' side
to disability (or 'impairment') and it is at least arguable that some (maybe
most) problems of sexual function are intrinsically medical - and not
imposed by society. However, issues of shyness, assertiveness, and
social/sexual confidence may well be rooted in expectations of
disapproval, contempt or rejection from an unaware non-disabled public.

HOW THE CLUB TREATS ITS MEMBERS.Billy Prosser, a member of
the club considers that the topic "Disability and sexualityis taboo", ie
sexuality as expressed by disabled people carries a kind of stigma.
Goffman in 1963 uses the term "stigma" to refer to an attribute that is
discrediting. To an extent this derives from traditional cultural and media
assumptions about physical beauty and "attractiveness". Disabled people
are seldom portrayed (for instance in films, on TV, in books, comics or
magazines) as sexy, or desirable, or sexually alluring to non-disabled
people. The club's membership is made up of able-bodied and disabled
people. What is interesting about the current membership is that there is
a gender imbalance, with men outnumbering women by 2:1, and it
appears that the club attracts able-bodied men but not able-bodied
women (Shakespeare, Gillespie-Sells et al. 1996). So what attracts
non-disabled men to the Outsiders Club? Are they splendidly
broad-minded individuals who have no sexual hang-ups about mixing with
disabled women, or are they themselves sexually frustrated, isolated
people at the last chance saloon?We need to look at the management,
structure, and general style of the club to find some answers, and to try to
answer the underlying question - is The Outsiders Club a good or a bad
thing?THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEThe Outsiders Club's
Management Committee consists of four people, includingTuppy Owens,
she is the only able-bodied person on the committee. In the film, Annette
Taylor, the club's Chairperson, suggested that the club ought to address
the negative images which have developed since its inception in 1979.
When viewing a film like this, I feel it is imperative that we, as individuals
(either club members or interested observers) are able to challenge our
own moral standpoint. It is perhaps inevitable thatindividuals who are
confronted with the issues depicted in the programme have been
provoked into feelings of discord. I found, as I was watching, that it was
practically impossible not to draw upon my own personal feelings

concerning the issues expressed above (Waitman and Conboy-Hill 1996).
THE OUTSIDERS CLUB AND SEXUAL SURROGACY.In the film, Tuppy
Owens mentioned her support for the use of sexual surrogates,
presumably (in some cases) via contacts made at The Outsiders Club. A
sexual surrogate is someone who usually is employed by a sex therapist
to assist with some sexual problem. This can be associated with a lack of
confidence or poor self esteem. The film interviewed two able-bodied
sexual surrogates, one male and the other female. Both surrogates in this
film used statements like: "I like to give pleasure and to make the person
happy" and "I massage them". The fees commence at £60 per session,
and a typical case would involve an able-bodied, female, sexual surrogate
who would spend two hours with a disabled person (male) for the purpose
of sex.The surrogate explains:"I take them out of their chair, put them on
to the bed, make them comfortable, please them, wash them, dress them
and put them back in their wheelchair" I found the impersonal,
matter-of-fact words used by the surrogate woman in the film rather
offensive. She kept referring to disabled people as "them" which seemed
to imply that the disabled person was somehow less than the surrogate
herself. It was considered reasonable by the surrogate that a fee (£60)
was charged, partly because it is after all a 'business' transaction, and
"otherwise they would become too attached if we did not charge".
POWER, CONTROL, and FETISHISMThe film showed several disabled
women who discussed their experiences of the club. One woman, who
uses a wheelchair, claimed that she had only been asked out by
able-bodied men. Tuppy's explanation of this was that some able bodied
men feel inadequate within their own experience, but are enabled to feel
empowered if they have sex with disabled women. She said that such
men feel they are in control, and by this process are able to exercise
power over a woman, albeit that the woman is disabled. Shakespeare
makes the point that there is an assumption here that any sexual contact

is better than no sexual contact (Shakespeare 1996). A further disturbing
aspect of the club, mentioned in some detail in the TV film, is that it is
used by some (usually able-bodied) men as an informal network for
specific sexual tastes. An example of this is that in the Outsiders Club
handbook it states: "Do not confess your fetish early in the relationship,
as some women may find this offensive". There seems to be a voyeuristic
view of disability in cases such as these, and this was given weight by
Shakespeare in 1996. What is particularly disturbing, is that the Outsiders
magazine publishes most of the members' names and addresses with
telephone numbers. It was suggested that most people who join do not
fully understand how the club operates. This highlights very real dangers,
particularly for some women who may already lack social skills and
consequently be considered to be vulnerable.CONCLUSIONS.Tuppy
Owens and members of The Outsiders Club co-operated willingly in the
shooting of the film - to their credit. They do not seem ashamed or
evasive about what they do and how they operate. The programme was
not long enough to be a truly authoritative portrait, but it did raise
sensitive, awkward, and provocative issues. The programme itself almost
seemed to depict some disabled people and some non-disabled people
(ie Club members) as somewhat sexually deviant or even dangerous,
which it suggests is hardly surprising when we live in a sexually
supercharged culture, where the emphasis is upon the body beautiful and
how attractive a person is (Longmore 1987), and there is a growing
fascination with sexual extremes. The programme quoted from its guide
that women should not turn down advances from men as this may be
perceived by the men that the women who are saying no in fact mean
yes(Shakespeare, Gillespie-Sells et al. 1996). This is a dangerous
proposition, and adds fuel to the uneasiness that is evident in people's
views about the club. I do not disagree per se with the idea of a sexual
club where consenting disabled adults can meet together with other

disabled people or non-disabled people to develop social skills, build self
esteem, and possibly involve themselves in sexual relationships. I do
however consider that the Outsiders Club does not meet the needs of
disabled women, and their vulnerability is not fully understood by the
club's organisers.ReferencesLongmore, P. K. (1987). "Screening
Stereotypes: Images of Disabled People in Television and Motion
Pictures." . Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding Disability: From Theory
to Practice. London, Macmillan.Rae, A. (1984). Refusing to be the
Outsiders. Spare Rib 145 . p. 18-20.Shakespeare, T. (1996). Power and
Prejudice: Issues of Gender, Sexuality and Disability. Disability & Society:
Emerging Issues and Insights. L. Barton. London,
Longman.Shakespeare, T., K. Gillespie-Sells, et al. (1996). The Sexual
Polities of Disability: Untold Desires. London, Cassell.Waitman, A. and S.
Conboy-Hill (1996). Confronting Moral Standpoints.December 1996