Screening AccSex in Leeds: Disabled Women Activism & Sexuality event
Screening AccSex London : sexuality and disability & next steps
Sisters of Frida’s first Disability and Sex/uality workshop
ACCSEX Directed by Shweta Ghosh | 52 min. | 2013 (video)
accsex film flyer
Disabled Women: Activism and Sexuality
The Centre for Disability Studies (University of Leeds) and Sisters of Frida (North) invite you to
Disabled Women: Activism and Sexuality
Friday 15 May 2015: 12.30-4.30
Liberty Building, University of Leeds, Room G.32
The first part of this event will include presentations from Sarah Woodin (CDS) on disabled women, violence and access to support; and Freyja Haraldsdottir (Tabu) on feminist disability activism in Iceland and the founding of ‘Tabu’ (www.tabu.is)
The second part (after a short lunch-break will include: A screening by Sisters of Frida of  the film, ‘ACCSEX’ – which explores notions of ‘ideal bodies’ (https://vimeo.com/73844999); and discussion led by Kirsty Liddiard (University of Sheffield) and Q&A with Shweta Ghosh (director of the film).
Teas and coffees will be provided but please bring your own lunch.
Room G.32 (ground floor)
School of Law
Liberty Building
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
(Please use postcode LS6 1AN for Sat Nav’s)
The Liberty Building is number 16 on the campus map.
Please register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/screening-accsex-disabled-women-sexuality-and-solidarity-tickets-16811051307 Details are on the eventbrite.
Confirmed BSL for discussion!!
We ‘ re also very pleased that Laki Kaur will be joining us and co chairing the discussion with Becky.
Laki is a 25 year old disabled woman , she describes herself as ‘outspoken, positive and love to try new things who loves traveling ‘. She works as a receptionist and loves her job.
Sisters of Frida is happy to host AccSex in London. Shweta Ghosh will be there to answer questions co chaired by Lucia Bellini and Becky Olaniyi from Sisters of Frida
Within stifling dichotomies of normal and abnormal, lie millions of women, negotiating with their identities. Accsex explores notions of beauty, the ‘ideal body’ and sexuality through four storytellers; four women who happen to be persons with disability. Through the lives of Natasha, Sonali, Kanti and Abha, this film brings to fore questions of acceptance, confidence and resistance to the normative. As it turns out, these questions are not too removed from everyday realities of several others, deemed ‘imperfect’ and ‘monstrous’ for not fitting in.Accsex traces the journey of the storytellers as they reclaim agency and the right to unapologetic confidence, sexual expression and happiness.
The experience of minority genders with disability largely reflects double discrimination. In the Indian context, identities and stories are further layered by virtue of diversities in caste, class, ethnic and religious backgrounds. The issues of persons with disabilities are often seen through a welfare approach in laws, programmes and policies. A similar charity-tinted lens is employed by educational books and media texts and a basic reading of these shows how the mildest physical and psycho-social disabilities are viewed as ‘abnormal’.
Accsex has won a number of awards and been part of several festival selections. It has also been used as a strong advocacy and educational material by activists in the field of disability and gender rights. It has been incorporated into the CREA Disability and Sexuality Rights online institute in 2015.
Shweta Ghosh is a documentary filmmaker and researcher. A silver medalist from the School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (SMCS, TISS), Mumbai, she has explored her interest in disability, cuisine, travel and music through research and film projects.
Shweta’s debut documentary Accsex, a film exploring notions of beauty, body, sexuality and disability was awarded Special Mention at the 61st Indian National Film Awards 2014 and has been screened across India and abroad. The film has been appreciated for its rights-based approach to disability and sexuality and has been used widely as advocacy and training material by NGOs and academic institutions.
Lucia Bellini works for StaySafe East to tackle violence and abuse against disabled and Deaf people. She spoke for disabled women at Million Women Rise at Trafalgar Square this year.
Becki Olaniyi is a young disabled women. She was on a panel on disability, race and gender at the WOW Festival at the South Bank this year.
We will also be discussing setting up a disabled women group on sexuality, relationships and intimacy.
This event is a women only event intended as a safe space for women to discuss sexuality and disability issues.
Nearest Tube stations
Waterloo Station | Bakerloo, Jubilee, (accessible for wheelchair users)
Lambeth North Station | Bakerloo line
Kennington Station | Northern line
Elephant & Castle | Northern line
Northern, Waterloo & City lines
Buses
3, 59, 159, 360