Towards supporting a healthy masculine sexuality: utilising mainstream male health policy and masculinity theory

[Extract] Developing a positive and healthy sexuality is central to being human. For most of us, our sexuality and sexual health is a private matter, yet for people with intellectual and developmental disability privacy is often not an option as support is required in this area of life, as in many other areas. This requirement presents a real dilemma for many of these men and women, their paid and unpaid caregivers, disability services, and for society in general. Funded developments in mainstream women's health promotion since the 1970s have helped put the spotlight on the range of specifically gendered sexual issues for women with intellectual and developmental disability (e.g., Walsh & Heller, 2002). Even though Australia is the only country in the world with a funded male health policy, its publication in 2010 has not filtered through to throw an obvious focus on any health issue, sexual or otherwise, for men with intellectual and developmental disability, and there is no sign that this is likely to change in the near future