Chronic Illness, Surgery and Sexual Roles of Gay Men with Chris Moore
In this episode, Hannah is joined by Chris Moore, who is a YA author and writes about LGBTQ+ issues and chronic illness. Chris discusses his specific diagnosis and health journey and having surgeries as a teenager while also discovering his sexuality and trying to have normal teenage experiences. He and Hannah talk about Chris's struggles with body issues because of his scars and stoma and the added pressure from gay culture around having a perfectly masculine body. Finally, Hannah and Chris get into the expectations of sexual roles because of gender and sexuality and how that plays out in relationships if you're physically limited in terms of not being able to perform certain sexual acts, and Hannah finally gets to ask: how DOES someone with a penis empty their stoma bag?
Read the episode transcript here!
SHOW NOTES
What we chat about…
A quick rundown of Chris's medical history backstory
What is Familial Adenomatous Polyposis?
The surgeries Chris has had - ileostomy, j pouch, reverse ileostomy
Complications with the surgeries
Chris's black hole scar
Societal expectations about gay male bodies
Does Chris feel like he missed out on teenage milestones because he wasn't out as gay?
Chris giving up swimming
Chris's first kiss with a girl
Being gay at school
How do you empty a stoma bag without getting shit on your dick?
What's had the biggest impact on Chris's body image and sex life in terms of being ill?
Chris's scars
The expectations around topping or bottoming in gay culture
Does Chris feel like his surgeries took some sexual experiences away from him?
Dealing with trauma from having enemas
J pouch leakages
Did being ill as a teenager delay your understanding of your sexuality? (31:27)
How do you tell people your age about your illness? (34:06)
Did you have any partners that weren't considerate or accepting of the sex life limitations? (37:01)
Chris's advice for young people who are queer and ill and going through something similar
Male pole dancing
USEFUL LINKS
MORE ABOUT CHRIS MOORE
As an amateur baker and travel enthusiast, Chris loves cooking up a storm and exploring new places. He brings these skills to his writing where he concocts fiendish scenarios and explores fictional worlds. Chris is passionate about teaching and has taught on the BA and MA in Publishing programmes at the University of Central Lancashire. His first book – Fall Out – was published in June and his latest novel, Gut Feelings, published in January and explores his own experiences with chronic illness. You can find Chris on Twitter (@YAfictionados) and on Instagram (@karmickris).
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