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The National
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Edinburgh Fringe show aims to spark conversation on sex and disability
Aaron Pang was influenced by his own experience of navigating dating as a disabled person to create Falling: A Disabled Love Story. Speaking to The National, Pang – who is based in the US – reflected on the preconceived notions that able-bodied people have around disability and sex. His show explores the complicated world of online dating, drawn from Pang's own experience of using a cane following a spinal cord injury at the age of 18 – and being unsure whether to show the cane in his profile. READ MORE: Comedian cancels Fringe show over 'terror' charge bail conditions' "The few times I haven't [shown the cane], and I meet someone, they always lean in and ask what happened – the show is trying to answer that question," he told The National. "I'm tired of answering the question to each individual person, so I'm trying to pack every single Uber driver and curious auntie and random stranger on the street into a room and get it done in one go." Falling: A Disabled Love Story challenges the narrative around disability, offering an unflinching insight into online dating, paying for sex and navigating intimacy. "The goal is to change people's minds," Pang said. "This is a thing that not a lot of people think about, in terms of how disabled people date and how they have sex and how they find love." Pang added that people often avoid talking about disability and sex, or they might pretend or assume that disabled people don't have sex. He told The National: "People don't think about disabled people as sexual beings, they think about, 'you need to learn how to walk, you need to heal first'. "But I've healed as much as I can, it's time to move on with life – there's all sorts of life to be lived. Pang said that assumptions around sex and disability often depend on cultural standards. He told The National: "A lot of western cultures are very hush, hush about it, because they don't want to make you feel bad, because they think that they have some preconceived notion that it might get in the way. READ MORE: Alba playwright puts his money where his mouth with Fringe show "In reality, I do want to talk about it, I'm comfortable talking about it. It's them who are uncomfortable." Reflecting on his Chinese background, he said: "In eastern cultures they can be a lot more blunt, which is sometimes a benefit as opposed to people tiptoeing around it, and it can be very uncomfortable." 'Disabled stories are our stories' It is Pang's first time at the Edinburgh Fringe – and the first large piece of work he is performing as a solo artist. While he feels excitement, there is also a level of apprehension, particularly when it comes to considerations around accessibility that able-bodied people are less likely to need to take into account: Access to venues, Edinburgh's cobblestones, or the need to preserve energy for the day. Pang said that Pleasance – which runs the venue he is performing in – has been "on top of accessibility". He stressed the importance of the Edinburgh Fringe being a festival which is not only accessible to everyone, but also platforms disabled artists and their stories. READ MORE: I'm performing at the Fringe but fear I won't be allowed to re-enter the US The team behind Falling: A Disabled Love Story is Pang, who stars in the show, and his partner Connie Chen, who is the show's director and is also disabled. Pang stressed the importance of having the show created and led by disabled people, as he told The National: "This is disabled art at its core, and it's really important that it is disabled people forming it." He added: "We are the future. Everybody becomes disabled. You either die early or you become disabled. "Disabled stories are our stories." Falling: A Disabled Love Story is at Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 2), July 30 to August 25 at 3pm.
Scotsman
26-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
New Edinburgh cycle hire scheme set for 'soft' launch during Festival
Edinburgh's new cycle hire scheme is set for a "soft" launch during the Festival. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The deadline for bids from operators hoping to run the scheme is next Friday, August 1, the day the Festival begins. But the council says the selection of a contractor for the two-year trial scheme can be completed quickly. And the companies which have so far signalled an interest have all said they can start operating the electric bike hire without delay. The last cycle hire scheme ended in September 2021. Photo by Greg Macvean Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is thought the soft launch, with a limited number of bikes, could take place during the week beginning August 11. Edinburgh's previous cycle hire scheme, which was run by Serco and sponsored by Just Eat, came to an end in September 2021 after thefts and vandalism made it unaffordable. The new scheme will be run by a commercial operator at no cost to the council, using e-bikes only and a dockless system for parking them. It will focus first on the city centre, but with the hope of spreading it across the Capital in due course. The original deadline for bids for the new scheme was July 18, but it was extended to August 1 at the request of one of the potential providers. Bids will then be evaluated the following week and a winner announced, with the potential for the scheme to start the week after. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said: 'Our initial target was to launch the trial cycle hire scheme during the month of August, and I remain confident that we'll deliver this. As ever, we'll work closely with summer festival operators and our other partners to minimise disruption during this busy period. 'However, the tender process is still underway, and a contract has not yet been awarded. We're actively working to finalise arrangements and remain committed to making the scheme operational as soon as possible. 'We're determined that any cycle hire scheme is implemented diligently and in the right way for the specific needs of Edinburgh. I'm confident that once a scheme is operational it will greatly benefit our residents and visitors alike.' Cllr Jenkinson acknowledged the August timescale he set had put council officers under pressure. But he said it would mean there were bikes for hire at the city's busiest time of year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And he added: 'It benefits not only us as a council, but also the provider who is going to deliver the service because they're never going to get a better opportunity of launching a product than in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival.'
