Making sex safer for people with learning disabilities

The author argues that HIV prevention work should be targeted, not according to outdated and prejudiced notions of 'high-risk' groups, but according to an analysis of those affected by a number of identifiable risk factors. These factors occur within populations that are marginalised and socially devalued. Similarities are drawn between the perceived sexualities of two of these population groups: gay men and people with learning disabilities. The construction of these sexualities, it is argued, pose a direct threat to people with learning disabilities. The implications for services are highlighted, and action urged in the key areas of staff training, sex education, sexual health service accessibility and equal opportunities. The article concludes by suggesting that people with learning disabilities are at risk of HIV infection precisely because it is perceived that they are not.