Because we’re all adults here right? [I don’t care what y’all say: I AM A GROWN]

And sex is for everyone, who, yannow, wants it AND IS CONSENTING AGE. And because I am an inclusive queen, I mean everyone. Abled and disabled alike.

IN [Black history] fact, did you know that one of sex toys greatest innovators was a Black man who created dildos with the disability community in mind?

Gosnell Duncan was paralyzed when a car fell on top of him while welding. He became involved in the disability rights movement in the late 1960s when he realized that there were many folks living with disabilities struggling to get their rocks off sexual urges met. The felt left out of the sexual revolution taking place all around them. In the early 70s, Duncan went to a seminar on sex and disabilities and left inspired to find a solution to living with disabilities and being able to experience sexual fire and desire [Did you know this is a 7 minute song?].

Dildos had already been invented, but were not accessible for people with disabilities.

The standard dildos available in the 1970’s were made with heat-treated rubber that would melt in the heat. Because of the material used to create them, these dildos often had a strong chemical odour that was off putting to people with scent sensory issues. He had often used silicone parts in his work on automobiles, and thought it would make a great dildo material.

As well as this, the dildos were sold in a pinkish white referred to as “flesh colored” reinforcing white skin as the default and othering anyone who’s skin did not match this tone.

As a disabled man with Caribbean heritage, Duncan knew what needed to be done to make his dildos stand out. By using silicone, Duncan’s toys were now hand washable. This meant that his toys could be used between sexual partners [I… you know what? nevermind]. He created toys for varying needs, including a toy for people with limited hand mobility that could be held with someone’s legs. And in a range of colors, in case your favorite color is blue. I hear people REALLY liked Avatar.

These were all groundbreaking steps that would positively alter the sex toy industry. Duncan’s dildos were also revolutionary for the feminist sexual movement, as his dildos did not always resemble a penis.

In a surprise to ALL of us, history has been largely told through a cis, white, able-bodied lens. And this reality means that you rarely (if ever) see disabilities portrayed in sex toy marketing. Which is unfortunate since the community that had such a positive impact on the sex toy industry has now been largely excluded from sex toy discourse. But now you know the next time you take a BIG OLE SNIFF of your dildo and it doesn’t smell like a tire (a rubber band? a condom? They didn’t say what KIND of rubber) you have Gosnell Duncan to thank for that.

And ME to thank for this fact. You’re welcome.