LOS ANGELES — Reigning XBIZ “Cam Model of the Year” GoAskAlex discusses sex-ed and disability in a new column for Erika Lust's Lustzine.
Titled “Sexual Education & Disability: Sex with a Stoma,” the piece documents her emotional journey over the past few years personally and as an entertainer in "a highly competitive industry that holds such high regard for physical beauty and fixed, long-held ideals of what theoretically turns us on," noted a rep.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the moment when I realized my life was about to drastically and permanently change,” Alex writes about the fateful 2019 doctor’s appointment when she learned that she needed colectomy surgery.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion as he told me in no uncertain terms that I would need to have all five feet of my colon permanently removed. At that moment I knew that my life would never be the same,” she continued.
She was referred to a medical pamphlet, "Sex and Intimacy" that was optimistic about resuming normal sexual activity post-surgery, but offered no real insight into what sexual wellness might actually look like.
"Aside from the lack of useful medical information, there was no guidance on how a person might feel confident and sexual again in their new body,” she explained. “It seemed as though no one in the hospital wanted the responsibility of shouldering an awkward conversation, and sadly the patient is the only one who suffers as a result.”
As someone who is a sex worker, and a former sex-shop employee, Alex knew she possessed a deep knowledge about her sexuality and felt up to the challenge of navigating her new normal.
"I was prepared to take on the challenge of getting to know my new body,” she recalled. “And I had the encouragement of tens of thousands of friends and fans across multiple social media platforms, all of whom were cheering me on.”
In the new column, she asserts her belief that everyone has a right to a healthy sex life no matter what their physical limitations might be.
"You have the same sexual rights as everyone else, able-bodied or not. I believe in an accessible future, and the time has come to demand comprehensive, accessible sex-ed. People with disabilities date, masturbate, have sex and even watch porn just like the rest of the world does,” Alex explained. “Those same people deserve sexual wellness and autonomy just like the rest of the world does.”
Click here for the full column; follow GoAskAlex on Twitter and find her premium social media links here.