Asta Philpot
Encyclopedia
Asta Anthony Philpot is an American (born Miami, Florida
, 1982) man living in Leeds
(United Kingdom
), who was the protagonist of a 2007 BBC One
documentary film
titled For one night only. He is affected with arthrogryposis
, which impairs, since his birth, his physical ability of movement. He advocates the right to an active sexual life
for people with disabilities
, even if this means paying for sex
.
After hearing of a legal brothel
with access for wheelchair
during a vacation in Spain
in 2006, he visited the place and lost his virginity
. He found this experience very interesting and decided, therefore, to organize a trip with other people sharing its extreme difficulties in finding a romantic or sexual relationship as a consequence of physical disabilities, advertising its intentions through dedicated Internet forum
s.
Although finding initial resistance to the idea, two other young men, affected with different medical conditions (one legally blind and the other paralysed
in a motorcycle
accident) accepted to join the vacation with the purpose to visit the Spanish night club and have the opportunity of a sexual encounter. A troup of BBC filmed it: the documentary opened some controversies about the opportunity to legalize prostitution in UK
, as a mean of giving sexual experiences for physically challenged people, who often lack enough social opportunities
to build a love relationship, although having a normal social potentiality and normal feeling
s and sexual needs
.
His views contributed to the acclaimed Belgian 2011 film "Hasta La Vista", written by Mariano Vanhoof and directed by Geoffrey Enthoven.
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, 1982) man living in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), who was the protagonist of a 2007 BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
titled For one night only. He is affected with arthrogryposis
Arthrogryposis
Arthrogryposis, also known as Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, is a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by multiple joint contractures and can include muscle weakness and fibrosis. It is a non-progressive disease...
, which impairs, since his birth, his physical ability of movement. He advocates the right to an active sexual life
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
for people with disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
, even if this means paying for sex
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
.
After hearing of a legal brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
with access for wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
during a vacation in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 2006, he visited the place and lost his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
. He found this experience very interesting and decided, therefore, to organize a trip with other people sharing its extreme difficulties in finding a romantic or sexual relationship as a consequence of physical disabilities, advertising its intentions through dedicated Internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s.
Although finding initial resistance to the idea, two other young men, affected with different medical conditions (one legally blind and the other paralysed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
in a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident) accepted to join the vacation with the purpose to visit the Spanish night club and have the opportunity of a sexual encounter. A troup of BBC filmed it: the documentary opened some controversies about the opportunity to legalize prostitution in UK
Prostitution in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, prostitution itself is not a crime, but a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, owning a brothel, pimping and pandering, are crimes....
, as a mean of giving sexual experiences for physically challenged people, who often lack enough social opportunities
Socialization
Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies...
to build a love relationship, although having a normal social potentiality and normal feeling
Feeling
Feeling is the nominalization of the verb to feel. The word was first used in the English language to describe the physical sensation of touch through either experience or perception. The word is also used to describe experiences, other than the physical sensation of touch, such as "a feeling of...
s and sexual needs
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
.
His views contributed to the acclaimed Belgian 2011 film "Hasta La Vista", written by Mariano Vanhoof and directed by Geoffrey Enthoven.
See also
- Nina de VriesNina de VriesNina de Vries is a Dutch sex worker or sexual surrogate who offers erotic massages to intellectually disabled men and women in Berlin and other parts of Germany. She also trains others to do the same....
is a DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
sex workerSex workerA sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
who offers erotic massageMassageMassage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
s to mentally disabled men and women in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
External links
- Asta Philpot website, including some clips from the BBC documentary and other media.
- BBC News article regarding his story and the documentary.
- BBC One page of the episode of the documentary series One Life dedicated to the story of Asta Philpot (episode 3, serie 9).
- Interview with Asta Philpot on the Young Turks liberal talk radio show, May 2010 on YouTube.