Writer and activist Andrew Morrison-Gurza strips down and shares why he loves his body in a feature about loving who you are.
NOW Toronto Magazine has a new campaign called Resolve to Love Your Body. 13 locals agreed to have their pictures taken and share how they feel about their bodies.
One image (safe for work, thanks to a strategically places ballcap) is capturing a lot of attention, including a feature in Instinct, popular gay men’s magazine, who put it right next to articles with typical beefcake and standard-issue fashion model pictures.
Andrew Morrison-Gurza is a disability activist and writer, and this is not his first unclothed photo shoot. The first question on everyone’s mind is, “Why?”. He says:
When people discuss sexuality and the body, they tend not to see the disabled body as something that is viable or sexy or important in that way. I want to turn that on its head so we can think of disability as something we can embrace and talk about in fun and sexy kinds of ways.
Disabilities are going to happen to all of us at some point in our lives. We need to talk about what disability is and what the realities are in a way that we can all be part of the conversation.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeAs a queer man, I’m aware that we have a homo-normative ideal: you’re supposed to have a six-pack, be good-looking and active. Someone like me sitting in a chair cannot fit that ideal. I can’t go to the gym and work off my disability. I’m never gonna have a six-pack. I’m never gonna be able to run circles around the good-looking guy at the gym. But I do think I have sexual value. We have to deconstruct these ideals and reconstruct them so everyone can be celebrated.
I love my body. I love that it’s different. I love that it represents something most people have never experienced. I love that it’s curved. I love that it’s scarred. I love that it’s seated in a chair, that my hands are spastic and that it puts me in a unique position to share my experience in the world.
And there’s plenty more love to go around.
A middle-aged man who suffers from chronic pain.
A self-proclaimed foodie who became hyper-aware of his body.
A transman who was 50, but felt like an awkward teenage boy. (NSFW)
The story was also featured on a Toronto News station:
Find the complete story online at nowtoronto.com.
Photo credit: Tanja-Tiziana
Learn more about Andrew and his disability activism work at andrewmorrisongurza.com.
Articles from Andrew Morrison-Gurza on The Good Men Project.
Want the best of The Good Men Project posts sent to you by email? Join our mailing list here.