Voices from the periphery: A narrative study of the experiences of sexuality of disabled women in Zimbabwe

Abstract

abstractThis article forms part of a larger biographical narrative study in which the experiences of sexuality of 16 Shona women with disability in Zimbabwe were explored. The purpose of this article is to use a single case, that of Tsitsi,to illuminate the intersectional nature of her experiences of sexuality. Her narrative is robust in illuminating the confluence of four themes found to be common across all the narratives of the larger study: 1) disregard and rejection; 2) health consequences of gendered sexual stigma; 3) gendered differences in experiences of disability; and 4) gendered cultural discourses on disability. These themes indicate that Tsitsi is located at the centre of a complex, intersecting web of gender, disability, culture and sexuality. Her experiences of sexuality occur in a context in which her disability interacts with normative gender roles and power relations within heteronormative practices and popular cultural constructions of disability; these contribute to her vulnerability to coercive sexual practices, resulting in her infection with HIV. Despite these challenges her determination and resilience emerge through her strong entrepreneurial effort, strategy and hope.