“Killjoys and Thrilljoys” – A Crip Theoretical Perspective on Sex Education in Special Schools

Sex education geared towards people with intellectual disability often focuses sexual risks and reproduction. However, research shows that students at special schools often find this inadequate and irrelevant. This conceptual article examines this issue from a crip theoretical perspective, combined with the classical concept of stigma. Furthermore, the term killjoy is added to the analysis; a term located at the intersection between queer and feminist theories. Might those in the environment surrounding individuals with ID, i.e., staff and family members, function as “killjoys” in relation to sexuality and intellectual disability? Or might they develop into “thrilljoys”, i.e., individuals who facilitate the embracement of stigma, with a focus on enjoyment rather than apparent problems in relation to sexuality and people with ID? The aim of this article is to highlight the significance of the social environment for these young people’s needs and life conditions, and to challenge presumptions that have to date been taken för granted. The result shows that assuming the role of thrilljoy means listening in a flexible and relevant way to the wishes that people with ID themselves express. This might in turn also make it easier for people with ID to themselves adopt a crip theoretical perspective and to really embrace that which has up until now been defined as a stigma. Developing new ways of looking at non-normative intellectual functionality and sexuality could contribute to develop sex education geared towards this goal group in a sufficient way.