How can I contact the organizer with any questions?įull refund for those who paid in full upfront.
These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 4 CE credits.
In place of the familiar notion that sex, beauty and desirability are limited to people who are young, thin, and physically agile, Sins Invalid offers “a vision of beauty and sexuality inclusive of all individuals and communities,” an affirmation that we are all sexual, all sexy, all attractive, regardless of age, body form, or skin color. “We wanted to address the disconnect between what we know to be true about our beauty and what the world seems to believe - that we are ‘less than,’ undesirable and pitiable,” Berne explains.īut Sins Invalid is more than a statement about sex and disability, going beyond the specific issue of discounting the sexuality of people with disabilities to challenge a whole range of conventional notions about what is normal, what is beautiful, and what is sexy. Sins Invalid was founded in 2006 by Patty Berne and Leroy Moore, two Bay Area activists with disabilities who were frustrated with the propensity of many to view people with disabilities as asexual, deviant, or undesirable. “Each of these artists is in a non-normative body,” Berne notes, “and each is a miraculous, sexual being.”įrank and Linda copyright David Steinberg “The theme of this year’s show is the magic of embodiment,” says Patty Berne, artistic director of Sins Invalid, “the magic of all life and the spirit incarnate.” The 12 artists in Sins Invalid all possess disabilities, some quite apparent, others less so, such as deafness and environmental illness and injuries. The cabaret-style performances in Sins Invalid range from mild to graphic, from tender to passionate, from the gentle spoken word to a sexually explicit depiction of a scene involving loving dominance and submission. Most specifically, Sins Invalid is about the sexuality of people with physical disabilities - an opportunity for people with disabilities to affirm and celebrate the vibrancy of their sexuality through performance art, theater, film, dance, song, and the spoken word.
These are some of the questions addressed in Sins Invalid: An Unashamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility, whose fourth annual multi-media presentation is being performed this coming weekend at the Brava Theater. Gayle and David Sins Invalid copyright: David Steinberg