Loading ...Originally written by Spectator-Observer Partnership
A FORMER Hamilton woman who took the operators of a swingers’ club in Melbourne to court over discrimination against her disabilities, is moving into a new field.
Katie Ball, 36, of Melbourne is exploring the sexuality of disabled people by setting up a website.
“I am happy to state that I am going into the porn industry; it’s a blatantly political arena,” she said. “It’s something I’ve only dreamt of doing.”
She said she had been featured in Picture Magazine several months ago and had a folio of shots.
Erotic too
“I might even send them to Playboy or Penthouse,” she said. “The disabled are as erotic as anyone else and our bodies are as beautiful as Britney Spears’.”
She said two of the major disciminatory situations she had encountered were experienced in Hamilton.
“It is important that people get the message that if they want to discriminate, they’re going find themselves in court.”
Although the swingers case was dismissed, Ms Ball is adamant she did the right thing by bringing disabled people’s sexuality into the open.
“The case was not about whether or not people approved of swingers, but about disabled people’s rights to access goods and services within the sex industry under the same terms and conditions as any other person,” she said.
“It was a political stand for the rights of all people with disabilities.
Same urges
“We have exactly the same feelings, urges, needs and desires as anyone else. Our bodies are just as erotic as the stereotypical super models portrayed in Playboy magazine and it’s about time society was forced to acknowledge the truth of this reality.”
Ms Ball, who attended the former Hamilton Technical School said Hamilton was a microcosm of the big world.
“I was 16 or 17 when I was first there and was going through a lot of adolescent changes, exploring feelings of sexuality,” she said.
“With age I have experienced that, mostly, attitudes have got better.
Too stupid
“But there is still a difference between younger people and older ones Ñ younger guys are still too stupid to cope with disabilities; there’s a magazine culture around and they think all women have to look like the ones in the magazines.”
She said the public had no right to discriminate on the grounds of disability.
“They said I had used the court system as a political tool, but I see courts as an appropriate place to take political issues,” she said.
“I think this issue was about expressing sexuality and the message is that if people want to discriminate, particularly service providers or business people, they can expect to be sued.
“The public is watching and I feel we had massive public support. People would come up to me in the street and say they supported my stand.”
See Katie’s story Ñ PAGE 9.
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