African American
Related: About this forumThe Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield
Anna didnt want to keep her feelings secret. As far as she knew, neither did D.J. In recent weeks, their relationship had changed, and it wasnt clear when or how to share the news. Its your call, she said to him in the lead-up to a meeting with his mother and older brother. Its your family. Its up to you.
When she arrived at the house on Memorial Day in 2011, Anna didnt know what D.J. planned to do. His brother, Wesley, was working in the garden, so she went straight inside to speak with D.J. and his mother, P. They chatted for a while at the dining table about D.J.s plans for school and for getting his own apartment. Then there was a lull in the conversation after Wesley came back in, and Anna took hold of D.J.s hand. We have something to tell you, they announced at last. Were in love.
What do you mean, in love? P. asked, the color draining from her face.
To Wesley, she looked pale and weak, like Caesar when he found out that Brutus betrayed him. He felt sick to his stomach. What made them so uncomfortable was not that Anna was 41 and D.J. was 30, or that Anna is white and D.J. is black, or even that Anna was married with two children while D.J. had never dated anyone. What made them so upset what led to all the arguing that followed, and the criminal trial and million-dollar civil suit was the fact that Anna can speak and D.J. cant; that she was a tenured professor of ethics at Rutgers University in Newark and D.J. has been declared by the state to have the mental capacity of a toddler.
Anna does not agree with this assessment. She does not deny (as no one could) that D.J. is impaired: His cerebral palsy leaves him prone to muscle spasms in his face, his neck, his torso and his arms and hands. She acknowledges that its hard for him to stay in one position, that muscle contractions sometimes twist his spine and clench his fingers in a useless ball. Its clear to her, as it is to everyone, that he has trouble making eye contact and keeping objects fixed in view. She knows that he wears diapers and cannot dress himself; that he can walk only if someone steadies him; and that otherwise he gets around by scooting on the floor. She knows that D.J. screams when hes unhappy and chirps when hes excited, but that he cant control his vocal cords. Anna understands that even now, at 35, D.J. has never said a word.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/magazine/the-strange-case-of-anna-stubblefield.html
BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)We have an adult, autistic and definitely sexually aware son. So I am interested in stories like this.
But all of the deep stuff aside, it seems she crossed the boundary between therapist and patient. Always a no-no
Number23
(24,544 posts)K&R
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)Whether DJ gave consent or not, Anna did cross the professional line. One of my sisters is autistic and the most intelligent and aware of any of us in my family. I can't imagine meeting a professional like Anna who understands the supremacist structure on so many levels could fall prey to fetishize oppression. She had to know that her actions would be considered unstable even if the tecnique does not have such a controversial history. I hope that she gets some mental help.