Abstract
Only recently have both outreach work and police operations found men with learning difficulties having sex in public toilets. This paper will describe the men's experience and understandings of such encounters based on discussions with nineteen men with learning difficulties* receiving a specialist sex education service. The work demonstrates how commonly men with learning difficulties engage in sexual acts which are emotionally and physically painful. A major aim of the work with the men was to enable them to negotiate safer sex. However, even after intense work, confidence for the men to avoid unsafe sex remains limited because of their passivity. Service providers are encouraged to be more sensitive to issue of power for sex between men and to examine the extent of their responsibilities in protecting men with learning difficulties from HIV infection.
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Thompson, D. The sexual experiences of men with learning disabilities having sex with men—Issues for HIV prevention. Sex Disabil 12, 221–242 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547909
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547909