Am I a devotee?
A personal perspective by Robert Vickers: I am a ‘devotee’ – of sorts.
It seems to me there are at least two distinctly different species of ‘devotee.’
1: As in my case, when by puberty I hadn't happened to become an LAK amputee, I started to fantasise that a girlfriend who was an amputee would be a suitable substitute. When I did not find such a girl, I started 'cutting and pasting' pictures of gorgeous naked ladies from Playboy and Penthouse magazines to try and satisfy my desires. Of course they didn't, but over time, the desire for female amputees became stronger and is still there fifty years on.
As a ‘devotee’ I could spot a female amputee a mile away, and I would save as much of the image on my mind as I could without ever following her or making myself a nuisance. I have never photographed or stalked an amputee, nor swapped stories with other devotees about my sightings. Hopefully, none of them ever noticed me in the background. I still collect photos and video off the net, appreciating to the full, those taken with the obvious knowledge and complicity of the amputee, but avoid those taken in secret, and photos of women that have been subjected to electronic surgery.
2: I cannot answer for the other devotees who have no desire to become an amputee themselves, but who, for whatever reason, are attracted to amputees. Some of these give ‘devotees’ a reputation as ‘sleazebags’ and to be avoided at all costs. These are the ones who photograph and film or video in secret, follow, stalk and report on sightings as a call to fellow sleazebags to gather at the site.
Further insight to these definitions would be appreciated as an addendum to my personal perspective.
