Photo of Morrison Gurza by HZD Photography, courtesy of Andrew Morrison Gurza
There’s going to be a sex party in Toronto on August 14. Possibly an orgy, as the Toronto Star put it, although the organizers don’t want the pressure that comes with that word. It’s just a party where you can get naked, see other people naked, maybe watch those people get off with each other, and respond to that however you want. If you start off feeling reserved but then become excited while watching, someone will lift you out of your wheelchair and into a harness, and you can get in on the action.
The sex party, called Deliciously Disabled, is a fully accessible romp, and a place where disability will take center stage. It’s impossible to say whether or not it’s the first of its kind in history, but it’s the first to have flyers, $20 admission, and a full bar. This one’s also going to coincide with the end of the Parapan Am Games, which should bring plenty of participants to town.
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Oasis Aqualounge, a Toronto sex club, is sponsoring the event, but their facility, a 19th-century mansion full of staircases, is horribly inaccessible. Undeterred, the organizers, Fatima Mechtab, Andrew Morrison-Gurza, and Stella Palikarova found a spot nearby called Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, which was also zoned for sex parties, but has ramps.
I talked to Mechtab and Morrison-Gurza, who calls himself “the most deliciously disabled queer crip you’ll ever meet,” about their plans for the party, and for the disabled community of Toronto.
VICE: What’s the story behind this event?
Fatima: Stella and I were friends and we talked about how cool it would be to have an event that would be like Oasis, but something that was wheelchair-accessible.
Andrew: I was contacted by Stella and Fatima back in February of 2015, and they said they were interested in hosting a sex-positive party that put disability at the forefront, and they wanted my expertise because I work as a consultant. We really needed something that’s kind of playful and fun and easy to say. I’ve been building a brand: Deliciously Disabled. I decided it’d be really fun to bring that in, and so we adopted that as the name of the event. I think it will be fun and playful.
So you said earlier you prefer the term “play party,” not orgy?
Andrew: Everyone is marketing it as a huge orgy. It’s not exactly that. It’s a party where we’re putting disability and sexuality at the forefront and we’re saying you need to celebrate disability and sexuality together.
Can people have sex and get drunk, though?
Fatima: At Oasis, we have a bathhouse license, and in Canada we are allowed to have an on-premises venue that sells alcohol, and allows nudity, and allows sex.
Am I right to assume Canada is more permissive than most US states?
Fatima: It’s my understanding that basically in the States, if you serve alcohol, you can’t be nude. I think the laws are a little bit different [from jurisdiction to jurisdiction].
When you’re dealing with people who require a lot of care from care providers, nudity only comes into play when you’re being taken care of.
Are you experienced at having sex in front of people?
Andrew: This will be my first foray into public sex and nudity. I’ve been nude for photo shoots. I’ve done that kind of stuff, so I’m comfortable with myself. On a larger scale? This is my first foray into that.
Do you think you have more than the usual level of confidence in your body?
Andrew: I like that my body’s curved, you know? I like that it’s different. I like that it’s scarred. I like that there’s all these different facets to it that if I didn’t have a disability, wouldn’t be part of my experience.
Have you decided on your level of involvement—if you will—at the party?
Andrew: I’m really interested to see how it plays out. I mean I think there’s always nerves whenever you are asked to get naked with a bunch of people in the room and see what happens. But I’m excited about what it could do for the community.
Is there going to be anything else besides drinking and sex?
Fatima: We’re in the midst of getting more performers. We want to have like sexy, titillating things like burlesque, maybe some dancers, possibly like a live sex show that would happen on stage with participants. All of that is sort of being figured out right now. We have a DJ, I’m thinking about maybe having a photo booth.
So what’s the equipment setup going to be for making it accessible?
Fatima: We’re hoping to get some cots or some beds that would be able to also accommodate a hydraulic lift. With certain beds the contraption won’t work, so people in wheelchairs, or who need to be moved, would require a hydraulic lift so we need to get sort of special cots or mattresses.
Andrew: For me to be able to have sex, a harness is required. So I would need the individual that I’m with to actually guide them to do that. I would also need them to help me get undressed, which can also be really sexy and fun, because you can make a little game out of it and it can be a little show.
What do you want people to take away from the experience?
Andrew: I’m hoping the party will take the fear out of these big devices that individuals will need to have access, and that will actually be a sexy part of the day. I’m really really proud of it because it puts disability and the disabled body and disabled sensuality at the forefront of the party, which is something that we have not ever seen before in this scope. When you’re dealing with people who require a lot of care from care providers, nudity only comes into play when you’re being taken care of.
What if someone wants to have sex privately during the party?
Fatima: The venue itself […] is inclusive for a lot of different kinds of people, but the one thing it isn’t is private. That’s not really what we’re trying to do. If you wanted to have sex in that kind of space then you can go to a hotel, or you can stay home or something. We’re not really trying to make it that kind of party. We really want it to be open, and we really want sexual expression to be out there.
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