What was Dylan Alcott doing on an all-woman panel for IWD?

In a room full of heavy-hitters like Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame, Dylan Alcott takes the stage. But what is he doing there?

At an International Women’s Day panel in Sydney today, many of Australia’s most high-profile women were there.

Yet in among Brittany Higgins and Christine Holgate was Dylan Alcott. A lone male amid all those female activists.

When asked about his presence there, the Australian of the Year joked: “I’m a bloke, what a bigot.”

Dylan Alcott is the only man in an otherwise all-women panel with Miranda Tapsell, Lisa Wilkinson, Brittany Higgins, Christine Holgate and Chantelle Otten. Picture Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Sexologist Chantelle Otten with her boyfriend Dylan Alcott at the Australian Open Tennis. Photo by Michael Klein

Alcott, a gold-winning Paralympian who represented Australia multiple times in tennis, was named Australian of the Year for his contribution to sport and his activism for people with disabilities. Born with a tumour wrapped around his spine, the operation to remove it left him a paraplegic.

Initially, he didn’t want to speak at the event, saying that there were plenty of other powerhouse women with disabilities who may be better qualified. Yet sitting alongside his partner, sexologist Chantelle Otten, it became apparent that just as sex involves all genders, so does systemic change.

Together Ms Otten and Alcott have been pushing boundaries in conversations around sex, disability and representation. They’re not shy when discussing their sex life either.

“It was the thing I was most insecure about in my life,” Mr Alcott said of sex. Now he feels it’s one of the best parts.

“Some people with disabilities don’t get a chance to go on a date ever … able-bodied people think it’s too hard.”

According to Ms Otten, changing attitudes to sex including opening people with disabilities up to options available to them requires a change toward “pleasurable sex education”.

“We were never taught about the clitoris in school, we were never taught about consent,” she said.

Despite being the only man in the picture, Alcott is making good use of his voice as Australian of the Year to advocate for women with disabilities. For him it is a vital frontier in women’s issues.

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame and Dylan Alcott both attended the Marie Claire International Women's Day breakfast. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

One particular issue he wants to focus on is increasing women with disabilities in the workplace. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) only 49.4 per cent of disabled women participate in the workforce compared with 57.8 per cent of disabled men.

In total, just 53.4 per cent of people with a disability were employed as opposed to 84.1 per cent of able-bodied people.

“(Women with disabilities) face higher rates of sexual violence than able-bodied women because we are vulnerable. We can’t protect ourselves as much,” Alcott said.

“It was hard enough for me to get a job, I can’t even imagine what a woman with a disability has to go through.

“The best way to change that is to talk about it, but also to get greater representation everywhere. In our boardrooms, in our parliaments, in our schools even in our bars. Everywhere.”