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Andrew Gurza

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Andrew Gurza
NationalityCanadian
Alma materCarleton University
Websitewww.andrewgurza.com

Andrew Gurza (born 1984/1985)[1] is a Canadian disability awareness consultant and activist, based in Toronto, who focuses on the intersections of disability and sexuality.[2]

Education

Gurza graduated from Carleton University with a Masters in Legal Studies;[3] his thesis was titled "From Paper to Practice: An Examination of How Public Perception of Disability Influences the Mobilization of Rights, Programs and Services for People with Disabilities."

Work

They have written pieces for HuffPost,[4] Everyday Feminism,[5] Men's Health,[6] Los Angeles Times,[7] Out,[8] and them.[9] Gurza has discussed the challenges of ableism in the queer community, disability-inclusive sex education, and barriers to healthcare, such as STI testing.[10] They have also written about the challenges of disabled travelers, particularly the threat of having a wheelchair damaged by airlines.[11]

They are also the co-founder and the Chief Disability Officer of Bump'n, a sex toy company for and by disabled people. He was the subject of an award-winning National Film Board of Canada Documentary Picture This. by Jari Osborne.[12][13] They are also the host of the podcast Disability After Dark.[14]

In early 2015, Gurza launched Deliciously Disabled consulting.[15] In August 2015, Gurza coorganized the Deliciously Disabled party in Toronto, a sex-positive party for disabled people.[16] The event sold out, but faced backlash in the media, being characterized as an "orgy".[17]

In 2019, Gurza started the hashtag #DisabledPeopleAreHot on Twitter,[1][2] asking disabled users to post photos of them "feeling sexy, feeling good about themselves and feeling happy and disabled"; the hashtag quickly gained popularity.[14] He later created a second hashtag, #DisabledPeopleAre, to discuss the achievements and challenges of the disabled community more broadly.[1]

Picture This

Jari Osborne's film, Picture This,[12] follows Gurza, through a series of interviews and conversations with friends, as he co-plans the Second Annual Deliciously Disabled Sex Positive Fully Accessible Play Party.[13] The documentary opens with Gurza sharing a story of his first sexual encounter in which a man admitted to Gurza that he was "just a pity fuck," which Gurza says is a common characterization of disabled people's sexual experiences. However, Gurza maintains that his disability is an important part of his sexuality.

"I like that I’m different. I like that my body is curved. I like that when I’m naked I don’t look normative and I think my disability enhances my sexual identity a lot."

Gurza shares that while most folks, both disabled and not, are hesitant or think it inappropriate to engage in these conversations, for a variety of reasons ranging from fear to ableism.

On a trip to the venue for the Deliciously Disabled event, Gurza and Palikorova reminisce about the success of the first event and consider how to make the upcoming one grander. When the event is eventually canceled, due to low ticket sales, Gurza attributes the decision to not, this time around, use the word "orgy" to describe the event as the reason for the decreased interest. His co-planner, Palikorova, shares that while the decision was made to portray the event as a more refined gathering, it cost them a lot of notoriety. Gurza seconds this by saying that "with disability, it has to be sensationalized or infantilized for it to be newsworthy".[12]

Disability After Dark podcast

Gurza's podcast Disability After Dark[14][18] began in 2016 and now has over 300 episodes. Its intention is to "have real conversations about disability, sexuality and everything else about the disability experience that we don't talk about." Most episodes feature a guest speaker with whom Gurza engages with on a myriad of topics relating to the disabled experience.[18] Topics include neurodivergence, porn, caregivers/ing, first dates, queerness, representation, internalized ableism, accommodations, sex work, among others.

Bump'n

Bump'n is a company that Gurza and their sister, Heather Morrison, founded in 2019 with the intention of making sex toys that are made by and for disabled people.[19][20] Originally called Handi, playing on the words handjob and handicapped, they changed the name to Bump'n in 2021 following a trademark dispute.[19] Their company hopes not only to provide sexual health products and services by and for disabled people but also to spark a movement to reduce the taboo nature surrounding sex and disability.

Bump'n's website also provides links to blog posts written by Gurza and other authors which include articles titled "Bump'n the Barriers to Bottoming,"[21] "How to have great oral sex as a wheelchair user,"[22] and "4 Accessible Ways to Ward Off Touch Starvation."[23]

The Truth About Being Crippled Blog

Gurza's blog The Truth About Being Crippled is another forum to discuss and shine a light on topics not often discussed. Titles include "Harnessing My Sexuality as a Queer Cripple: Becoming My Super, Sexy Self," "Working as a Queer Cripple: My Feelings Around Presenting Sex, Disability and Queerness," and "How I Really Feel About Sex Work and Disability as a Disabled Client."[24]

Recognition

In 2023, Gurza was one of the 10 reader-nominated finalists in the Out100's Reader Choice category.[25]

Personal life

Gurza has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user.[10] Gurza came out as gay when they were 15, which their family was supportive of,[15][26] and also identifies as a "queer cripple".[27] They use they/he pronouns.[citation needed] Gurza is Jewish.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Vallis, Jeffery (March 8, 2019). "#DisabledPeopleAreHot: Viral hashtag sparks conversation about sexuality and disability". Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Isador, Graham (2019-03-14). "Meet the 'Queer Cripple' Showing Why Disabled People Are Hot". Vice. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  3. ^ "Deliciously Disabled to discuss sex lives of people with disabilities". The Georgia Straight. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  4. ^ "Andrew Gurza". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  5. ^ Morrison-Gurza, Andrew (2015-09-30). "3 Common Dating Fears at the Intersection of Sexuality and Disability". Everyday Feminism. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  6. ^ "I'm a Disabled Man, and Here's What You're Getting Wrong About Stephen Hawking's Death". Men's Health. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  7. ^ "Erasing Stephen Hawking's disability erases an important part of who he was". Los Angeles Times. 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  8. ^ "Andrew Gurza". www.out.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  9. ^ Queer Disabled Podcaster Talks About Sex and Intimacy | them., retrieved 2023-11-30
  10. ^ a b "'I have sex. Get over it': Disability activists call for sex education". CBC. October 30, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Wichter, Zach (November 11, 2022). "This traveler's wheelchair was left in the rain with no guarantee that it won't happen again". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  12. ^ a b c Canada, National Film Board of, Picture This, retrieved 2023-11-30
  13. ^ a b "Canadian documentary Picture This takes an honest look at sexuality and disability". The Georgia Straight. 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  14. ^ a b c "Hot, disabled and not afraid to show it". 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  15. ^ a b "Sex-positive party kick-starts discussion of sex and disability". CBC. August 27, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sex-positive party geared to people with disabilities". CBC. August 10, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Gerson, Merissa Nathan (August 20, 2015). "Sexy and I Know It". Tablet Magazine.
  18. ^ a b Berghs, Maria; Chataika, Tsitsi; El-Lahib, Yahya; Dube, Kudakwashe (2019-10-28). The Routledge Handbook of Disability Activism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-16506-8.
  19. ^ a b Thomsen, Simon (November 5, 2021). "Norwegian tossers force disability sex tech startup Handi to change its name – so it's now called Bump'n". Startup Daily.
  20. ^ Lieberman, Hallie (2022-01-07). "Startups Aim to Broaden the Market for Sexual-Health Devices". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  21. ^ "Bump'n The Barriers to Bottoming". Bump'n. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  22. ^ "Crip Tips: How to have Great Oral Sex as a Wheelchair User". Bump'n. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  23. ^ "Bump'n The Barriers to Touch: 4 Accessible Ways To Ward Off Touch Star". Bump'n. 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  24. ^ "Blog". Andrew Gurza. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  25. ^ "The Out100 Readers' Choice Finalists Are Here—And It's Time to Vote!". www.out.com. August 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  26. ^ Rosenberg, Mark Brennan (2013-04-05). "LGBT's Living With Disabilities: Also Here, Also Queer". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  27. ^ Scriver, Amanda (2015-06-22). "#DeliciouslyDisabled: Reclaiming the word 'disabled' by promoting awareness". SheKnows. Retrieved 2023-12-01.


Further reading

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