Ofir Dahan, 38, Kiryat Ata
I did not find intimacy until I was 33. I tried, and tried, all the time, but I couldn’t even get a date. Women who heard about my disability ran. In a moment of courage, I posted on Facebook that I was looking for intimacy and that I was tired of being alone, I want a partner with whom to spend my life. The post went viral. It got me a lot of dates and relationships. But despite the success, I discovered a very grim reality about people with disabilities in the dating world. That’s where I began a journey. I became a social activist, I wrote on the web about living with disability and the search for intimacy, and about all sorts of experiences I had on dates. I remember one woman messaged me on Whatsapp that she’s not interested in a first date with me because she doesn’t know how the children will turn out. Like, really? What children? I haven’t even sat down with her for coffee and she’s already talking with me about kids.