ABSTRACT
Discussions of sex take place, for the most part, in the private realm. Shining a light on these private moments and engaging visitors in the exploration of the cultural significance of human sexuality has been a speciality of the Museum of Sex since it opened in 2002 in New York City. Five years later, in July of 2007, the museum hosted a small installation by Australian-based photographer Belinda Mason, drawn from the series, Intimate Encounters: Disability and Sexuality, a project undertaken to debunk the myth ‘that a person with a disability had no sexual identity or desires’ (Mason 2002). The resulting images were as diverse as the participants; realistic depictions mingled with fantasy scenarios and graphic sensuality gave way to tender emotional scenes. While the images were compelling, we wondered how they would be received by audiences.
