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For Joel, identity has never been a box to tick \u2013 it\u2019s something to grow into, something to own. Now 47, Joel uses they\/them pronouns and proudly describes themself as non-binary, someone who doesn\u2019t fit neatly into \u2018male\u2019 or \u2018female\u2019. It’s a truth they’ve carried most <\/span>of their life, even if there wasn’t always the right words.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI was born in a female body, but I\u2019ve never really identified as female,\u201d Joel says. \u201cI\u2019m just me.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGrowing up, Joel didn\u2019t always feel seen \u2013 not by society, and sometimes not even by their biological and foster family. \u201cI was given a male name at birth, but I never asked why,\u201d Joel says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t have much contact with my biological mum and my biological dad has passed, so I\u2019ll never get an answer, but I\u2019ve learned to just deal with it. As I said, I\u2019ve always grown up just being me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAnd part of Joel\u2019s \u201cme\u201d is their love of performance arts, which they get to indulge each week at Melba\u2019s Arthur Creative \u2013 a dynamic arts space for artists with disability in Ballarat.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve been with Arthur Creative for 10 years now, and they\u2019ve helped me feel comfortable in my own skin,\u201d Joel says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThey\u2019ve given me confidence \u2013 and I thrive on confidence. I\u2019m now training to be a facilitator. I love teaching and I love seeing the group happy. That makes my day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nArthur Creative has become more than a workplace for Joel \u2013 it\u2019s a \u201ctribe\u201d, a chosen \u201cfamily\u201d that supports each other and gets things done. But there are still parts of life where support and understanding are missing \u2013 especially when it comes to sex and intimacy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPeople with disability are adults, not children, and we have adult needs like anyone else<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cSex and disability gets swept under the carpet,\u201d Joel says. \u201cPeople don\u2019t want to talk about it, but we should. People with disability are adults, not children, and we have adult needs like anyone else. One of my main goals is to always treat people like adults \u2013 because that\u2019s what they are.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJoel believes society still has a long way to go in recognising that people with disability want and deserve intimacy, relationships and love \u2013 and to explore their sexual identity. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cPeople assume that because I have a disability I\u2019m not interested in sex,\u201d Joel says. \u201cThat\u2019s just wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThis is something I\u2019m very passionate about. I want to be a voice for others who may not feel they can speak up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMy message is simple: don\u2019t treat us any differently \u2013 because we\u2019re just like you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Joel, a proud non-binary person with disability, has spent much of their life growing into and owning their identity, finding confidence and belonging through Melba\u2019s Arthur Creative. They are telling their story to speak out about the importance of visibility, respect, and recognising that people with disability deserve the same rights to intimacy, love and identity as anyone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":4105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faces-of-melba-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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