Post by Sar on Mar 11, 2014 22:44:04 GMT -5
ENGL 201
When it comes to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and sexual minority community (LGBT+), it is seen that civil equality is the main factor of the group. The efforts of the organization are focused on protesting, raising awareness, protecting the civil rights of those in the group, and promoting equality for all. However, when it comes to the specific groups inside of the community, some are seen as more equal than others. Though many of the sexual minorities face these issues, Asexuals are now just starting their battle for recognition. One of the main issues Asexuals face in finding their standing in the LGBT+ community comes from the legitimacy given to their sexuality. Far too often Asexuality is written off as a fictional concept, or sometimes even a “mental health” disorder (Yule 3). Not only is this point of view particularly harmful to Asexuals, but it also mirrors arguments that, not too long ago, have been made towards other sexual minorities, including Gays and Lesbians. These harmful words are cause by ignorance about Asexuality. Therefore, the only way to fix the problem of Asexual representation is to expand Asexual education inside of the LGBT+ community.
Asexuality is the umbrella term that covers the entire community of people who “have never felt sexual attraction” (Scherrer 2). Those who define themselves as Asexual do not go out seeking sexual advances. Asexuality is not to be mistaken with celibacy. These two often confused terms can be simplified by explaining that celibacy is a choice to abstain from sex while Asexuality is not partaking in sex because one does not want or enjoy it. However, sexual orientation should not be confused with romantic orientation. “Many asexuals feel attraction but without any sexual component” of the relationship (Carrigan 468). This kind of attraction is called romantic orientation. In Carrigan’s study, it is shown that although a subject identifies as Asexual, they may identify as Heteroromantic, Homoromantic, Biromantic, etc. Unlike the majority of the population whose sexual orientation matches their romantic orientations, this is not a necessarily true in the Asexual community (469). Though the concept that one’s romantic orientation doesn’t always match up with their sexual orientation (for example an asexual woman who is homoromantic) may be confusing, but in the Asexual population it is quite common. The romantic orientation marks who a person is romantically attracted to but does not mean that there are sexual feelings.
With such limited information available, it is quite difficult for such an in depth concept to be explained. Given that “approximately 1% of the population is thought to be asexual” the demand for scholarly articles has been almost nonexistent until the last ten years (Yule 1). However, the expansion of technology has given people of all locations the ability to connect through the internet. This gives Asexuals, and other minorities, the opportunity to build a community. The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded in 2001 by David Jay (Carrigan 462). With 55, 248 total members, AVEN is the largest Asexual forum online and gives a safe digital zone for anyone who is Asexual, a friend or family member of an Asexual, or those who have questions about lack of sexual desire (Asexual Visibility). With this ability to connect to others who share their sexuality, there has been an increase in the community need and want to become more visible to the world around them ((A)sexual). It is with this new motivation where the problems for Asexuals are beginning to increase. This new movement breaks away from the prior notion that the lack of sexual attraction is a medical disorder. Instead it concentrates on the trait just being like any other sexuality. AVEN has allowed Asexuals to band together and start moving forward. Though many Pride Centers do not offer much information on Asexuality, the information that is given is usually by AVEN’s encyclopedia. It is through this online resource that many have come to research and become more knowledgeable on the topic of and those related to Asexuality. Even though there is a lot of work to do when it comes to moving the Asexual movement forward, AVEN sets the foundation and sources of information to help the community and the public learn as they expand on their presuppositions about sexuality.
With the lack of information available in mainstream resources, there is little known about Asexuality in the general public. In a high-sexed environment, an Asexual is likely to feel out of place among those who are constantly looking for potential mates. In her article, Eunjung Kim stated that when someone who is Asexual comes out to the public, the Asexual is labeled as “abnormal” (486). With this lack of information, it is questioned if Asexuality is a legitimate sexuality. The Asexual community often deals with bigoted and insensitive comments about their sexuality, claiming it’s “just a phase” or they are asexual due to a traumatic life event (Jay). These comments rival and are almost identical to those used against the LGBT+ community decades prior. Without participating in a huge step that is seen as a need for survival, Asexuals do not fit into the normal sexual stereotype, which would label them as queer. With that label, it would seem like an obvious choice for Asexuals to join the LGBT+ community. However, that transition is not always so simple.
At any LGBT+ pride parade, along with the outreach and emotional support, there is always a huge amount of sexual content. Yet a group of Asexuals who decided to march in their local pride parade were approached with closed minded comments. A man even saying “I Pity your pour soul” and “I don’t stand for what you stand for” ((A)sexual). What started as an expression of their place in the LGBT+ community and a need for visibility turned into the public event to where those marching in the name of Asexuality were ridiculed. The Asexual marchers that were featured in the (A) sexual documentary left the parade disheartened. Bullied by those who brought in a hierarchy of what sexualities mattered the most, the Asexuals left feeling defeated, not quite knowing if their point was even shown in the parade at all. Though discrimination towards all sexual minorities by the sexual majority is commonly seen (MacInnis 732), it would seem that the main point of the Pride Parade would be inclusive to all of the sexual minorities.
Which such a large event such as a Pride Parade, it can be argued that the negative encounters that the Asexual Marchers experienced could just be blamed on the high energy of the event. Yet all over AVEN there are reports about discrimination and harassment of Asexuals due to their sexuality. On January 17, 2014 an article was printed in the Easterner, a school newspaper at Eastern Washington University about Asexual shaming. In this article, Jasmine Kemp discusses her experience coming out to the LGBT+ community on campus (Kemp). While trying to explain her sexuality her peers belittled her, one even making her feel unwelcome and “horrible” (Kemp). Expecting to be joining a club that based itself off of equality for all, she instead found a hierarchy where Asexuals were seen as if they didn’t even belong.
Mirroring the experience of many other minorities, it seems that the main cause of discrimination is the lack of education about Asexuality. With the movement being so recently started, and Asexuality just recently not being seen as a mental illness, it is going through the same early stages that the Homosexual movement went through in the 1980’s (Bogaert 94). With a large amount of stigma already attached to mental illness, it is difficult for individuals to first break out of the pre-existing bias that exists toward those who do not feel sexual attraction (MacInnis 732). If education were to expand on the topic of Asexuality, it would not only set the foundation for Asexual awareness, but help improve the stigma that comes with the other sexual minorities.
Another key step in assisting in the spread of information on Asexuality would be to break into the cultural media at large. Throughout history, the most effective way to show different cultures and ideas has been through the media. From Star Trek to Modern family, the introduction and familiarization of groups of people in television keeps the mass of people familiar and more open minded, regardless of the extremes that are seen in the show. However, the publicized Asexual needs to be factual and not based off of stereotypes. In one example of the few instance in which Asexuals have appeared on television shows a partnership where one person was faking the sexuality and the other was only Asexual due to a tumor in the pituitary gland (Lingenfelter). Though examples of Asexuals in the media are desperately needed, the characters that have already been introduced on television are more harmful than they are helpful to the Asexual community, as they only expose the viewers to a false representation of Asexuality. Without interference, these ideas that Asexuals only exist due to disease will continue to plague the Asexual community.
In addition to Asexual expansion in media, expansion in basic sexual education would help thousands of students understand that there are more sexualities than just Heterosexuality, and that there is also a difference between one’s sexual attraction, and their romantic attraction. Availability to this information would expand the thoughts of students and make those who don’t fit into the major sexualities feel as if they belong. Not only would the expansion of positive publication of Asexuals affect those that already identify on the Asexual spectrum, but it would also provide information to those who are still questioning what their sexuality is. When viewing the forums on AVEN, one of the most common experiences shared is often that those who didn’t identify as Asexual until later in their life only took so long to identify as such because they didn’t know that Asexuality even existed. Without this knowledge available, many members of the Asexual community grow up thinking that what they suffer from is a medical problem, and not just a natural sexuality. With an expansion of education it would become easier for those who question their sexuality to explore the landscape of ideas, instead of trying to squeeze themselves into the black and white world of Heterosexuality and Homosexuality.
Examples like those listed above show why Asexual education is needed in the LGBT+. With their stand for equality for all sexual minorities, Asexuals have the right to belong in the LGBT+. If accepted into this community, the legitimacy of Asexuality as it’s own sexuality would increase. This legitimacy would be a foundation for a serious pursuit at educating individuals on Asexuality, and in turn, ending the sense of isolation and depression that so many Asexuals are burdened with (Yule 8). Without this vital education being available to the public, misinformation will continue through the generations and those who do not feel sexual attraction will never know that there is a community of others that they would be able to relate to.
This partnership with the LGBT+ community is desperately needed. Like those in the LGBT+ community, Asexuals are fighting stigma, bias, and discrimination, constantly fighting for equality. It seems it would make more sense for the entire community of LGBT+ and Asexuals to work together as equals. It is only logical that if two groups are working toward the same goals of equality and acceptance, they would achieve far greater outreach working together, rather than as rivals. The inclusion of Asexuals in the LGBT+ community would not only help the Asexual community, but aid to the already existing LGBT+ community. Facing many of the same bias and bigoted points of view and expanding the number of individuals united together can only be of assistance for everyone. However, the current perception is still that Asexuals don’t belong. The most common question raised is often why Asexual education is important when an absence of sexuality doesn’t affect how they live ((A)sexual)? This question was raised by Dan Savage, one of the most outspoken gay right advocates who tends to side against the inclusion of Asexuals in the LGBT+. He tends to believe that since Asexuality isn’t proudly worn on the sleeves of those who identify as such, it does not quite register as queer.
Yet it still stands that since Asexuals are categorized as queer, they belong in the LGBT+ community just as much as any of the others who are directly part of the acronym. Yet the final question is this; how does one fully connect the Asexual community with the LGBT+? To achieve this goal, it must be accepted that education from both sides needs to be combined cumulatively. One of the most convenient ways to combine information would be through online communication. Much like how AVEN has their online encyclopedia, the combined groups would be able to pull together both of their resources to make a convenient, all in one place, sexual minority area. With members of the LGBT+ and Asexual community working together as one community, the need advance in public awareness, media, and schools would be able to take place, now having the strong backing of a group all working for equality. Without the full acceptance of Asexuals in the LGBT+ community, these goals will never be fully met due to the lack of recognition that Asexuals have on their own. This loss of awareness would leave another generation to wonder “What’s wrong with me?” without knowing that there isn’t anything wrong.
This paper is the work of the poster. Any copying of this will be reported as plagiarism
(A)sexual. Dir. Angela Tucker. Perf. Aliza, David Jay. 2011. DVD.
Asexual Visibility "About AVEN." AVEN. The Asexuality and Education Network, 2001. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Bogaert, Anthony F. Understanding Asexuality. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. 83-94. Print.
Carrigan, Mark. "There’s More to Life than Sex? Difference and Commonality within the Asexual Community." sexualities.sagepub.com/. N.p., 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Jay , David. "Asexual Problems." 18 sept 2013. N.p., Online Posting to Asexuality.org. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/92745-asexualproblems/>.
Kemp, Jasmine. "Please Stop Talking About Cake." Easterner [Cheney] 17 Jan. 2014, Opinion sec.: n. pag. Print.
Kim, Eunjung. "Asexuality in Disability Narratives." Pinktherapy. N.p., 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
MacInnis, Cara C., and Gordon Hodson. "Intergroup Bias toward “Group X”: Evidence of Prejudice, Dehumanization, Avoidance, and Discrimination against Asexuals." Group Process and Intergroup Relations (2012): 725-40. Asexualawarenessweek. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Lingenfelter, Kath. "Better Half." House. FOX. Los Angeles, California, 23 Jan. 2012. Television.
Scherrer, Kristin S. "Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire.” NIH Public Access. N.p., 1 Oct. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Yule, Morag A., Lori A. Brotto, and Boris B. Gorzalka. "Mental Health and Interpersonal Functioning in Self-identified Asexual Men and Women." Psychology and Sexuality(2013): 1-13. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
When it comes to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and sexual minority community (LGBT+), it is seen that civil equality is the main factor of the group. The efforts of the organization are focused on protesting, raising awareness, protecting the civil rights of those in the group, and promoting equality for all. However, when it comes to the specific groups inside of the community, some are seen as more equal than others. Though many of the sexual minorities face these issues, Asexuals are now just starting their battle for recognition. One of the main issues Asexuals face in finding their standing in the LGBT+ community comes from the legitimacy given to their sexuality. Far too often Asexuality is written off as a fictional concept, or sometimes even a “mental health” disorder (Yule 3). Not only is this point of view particularly harmful to Asexuals, but it also mirrors arguments that, not too long ago, have been made towards other sexual minorities, including Gays and Lesbians. These harmful words are cause by ignorance about Asexuality. Therefore, the only way to fix the problem of Asexual representation is to expand Asexual education inside of the LGBT+ community.
Asexuality is the umbrella term that covers the entire community of people who “have never felt sexual attraction” (Scherrer 2). Those who define themselves as Asexual do not go out seeking sexual advances. Asexuality is not to be mistaken with celibacy. These two often confused terms can be simplified by explaining that celibacy is a choice to abstain from sex while Asexuality is not partaking in sex because one does not want or enjoy it. However, sexual orientation should not be confused with romantic orientation. “Many asexuals feel attraction but without any sexual component” of the relationship (Carrigan 468). This kind of attraction is called romantic orientation. In Carrigan’s study, it is shown that although a subject identifies as Asexual, they may identify as Heteroromantic, Homoromantic, Biromantic, etc. Unlike the majority of the population whose sexual orientation matches their romantic orientations, this is not a necessarily true in the Asexual community (469). Though the concept that one’s romantic orientation doesn’t always match up with their sexual orientation (for example an asexual woman who is homoromantic) may be confusing, but in the Asexual population it is quite common. The romantic orientation marks who a person is romantically attracted to but does not mean that there are sexual feelings.
With such limited information available, it is quite difficult for such an in depth concept to be explained. Given that “approximately 1% of the population is thought to be asexual” the demand for scholarly articles has been almost nonexistent until the last ten years (Yule 1). However, the expansion of technology has given people of all locations the ability to connect through the internet. This gives Asexuals, and other minorities, the opportunity to build a community. The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded in 2001 by David Jay (Carrigan 462). With 55, 248 total members, AVEN is the largest Asexual forum online and gives a safe digital zone for anyone who is Asexual, a friend or family member of an Asexual, or those who have questions about lack of sexual desire (Asexual Visibility). With this ability to connect to others who share their sexuality, there has been an increase in the community need and want to become more visible to the world around them ((A)sexual). It is with this new motivation where the problems for Asexuals are beginning to increase. This new movement breaks away from the prior notion that the lack of sexual attraction is a medical disorder. Instead it concentrates on the trait just being like any other sexuality. AVEN has allowed Asexuals to band together and start moving forward. Though many Pride Centers do not offer much information on Asexuality, the information that is given is usually by AVEN’s encyclopedia. It is through this online resource that many have come to research and become more knowledgeable on the topic of and those related to Asexuality. Even though there is a lot of work to do when it comes to moving the Asexual movement forward, AVEN sets the foundation and sources of information to help the community and the public learn as they expand on their presuppositions about sexuality.
With the lack of information available in mainstream resources, there is little known about Asexuality in the general public. In a high-sexed environment, an Asexual is likely to feel out of place among those who are constantly looking for potential mates. In her article, Eunjung Kim stated that when someone who is Asexual comes out to the public, the Asexual is labeled as “abnormal” (486). With this lack of information, it is questioned if Asexuality is a legitimate sexuality. The Asexual community often deals with bigoted and insensitive comments about their sexuality, claiming it’s “just a phase” or they are asexual due to a traumatic life event (Jay). These comments rival and are almost identical to those used against the LGBT+ community decades prior. Without participating in a huge step that is seen as a need for survival, Asexuals do not fit into the normal sexual stereotype, which would label them as queer. With that label, it would seem like an obvious choice for Asexuals to join the LGBT+ community. However, that transition is not always so simple.
At any LGBT+ pride parade, along with the outreach and emotional support, there is always a huge amount of sexual content. Yet a group of Asexuals who decided to march in their local pride parade were approached with closed minded comments. A man even saying “I Pity your pour soul” and “I don’t stand for what you stand for” ((A)sexual). What started as an expression of their place in the LGBT+ community and a need for visibility turned into the public event to where those marching in the name of Asexuality were ridiculed. The Asexual marchers that were featured in the (A) sexual documentary left the parade disheartened. Bullied by those who brought in a hierarchy of what sexualities mattered the most, the Asexuals left feeling defeated, not quite knowing if their point was even shown in the parade at all. Though discrimination towards all sexual minorities by the sexual majority is commonly seen (MacInnis 732), it would seem that the main point of the Pride Parade would be inclusive to all of the sexual minorities.
Which such a large event such as a Pride Parade, it can be argued that the negative encounters that the Asexual Marchers experienced could just be blamed on the high energy of the event. Yet all over AVEN there are reports about discrimination and harassment of Asexuals due to their sexuality. On January 17, 2014 an article was printed in the Easterner, a school newspaper at Eastern Washington University about Asexual shaming. In this article, Jasmine Kemp discusses her experience coming out to the LGBT+ community on campus (Kemp). While trying to explain her sexuality her peers belittled her, one even making her feel unwelcome and “horrible” (Kemp). Expecting to be joining a club that based itself off of equality for all, she instead found a hierarchy where Asexuals were seen as if they didn’t even belong.
Mirroring the experience of many other minorities, it seems that the main cause of discrimination is the lack of education about Asexuality. With the movement being so recently started, and Asexuality just recently not being seen as a mental illness, it is going through the same early stages that the Homosexual movement went through in the 1980’s (Bogaert 94). With a large amount of stigma already attached to mental illness, it is difficult for individuals to first break out of the pre-existing bias that exists toward those who do not feel sexual attraction (MacInnis 732). If education were to expand on the topic of Asexuality, it would not only set the foundation for Asexual awareness, but help improve the stigma that comes with the other sexual minorities.
Another key step in assisting in the spread of information on Asexuality would be to break into the cultural media at large. Throughout history, the most effective way to show different cultures and ideas has been through the media. From Star Trek to Modern family, the introduction and familiarization of groups of people in television keeps the mass of people familiar and more open minded, regardless of the extremes that are seen in the show. However, the publicized Asexual needs to be factual and not based off of stereotypes. In one example of the few instance in which Asexuals have appeared on television shows a partnership where one person was faking the sexuality and the other was only Asexual due to a tumor in the pituitary gland (Lingenfelter). Though examples of Asexuals in the media are desperately needed, the characters that have already been introduced on television are more harmful than they are helpful to the Asexual community, as they only expose the viewers to a false representation of Asexuality. Without interference, these ideas that Asexuals only exist due to disease will continue to plague the Asexual community.
In addition to Asexual expansion in media, expansion in basic sexual education would help thousands of students understand that there are more sexualities than just Heterosexuality, and that there is also a difference between one’s sexual attraction, and their romantic attraction. Availability to this information would expand the thoughts of students and make those who don’t fit into the major sexualities feel as if they belong. Not only would the expansion of positive publication of Asexuals affect those that already identify on the Asexual spectrum, but it would also provide information to those who are still questioning what their sexuality is. When viewing the forums on AVEN, one of the most common experiences shared is often that those who didn’t identify as Asexual until later in their life only took so long to identify as such because they didn’t know that Asexuality even existed. Without this knowledge available, many members of the Asexual community grow up thinking that what they suffer from is a medical problem, and not just a natural sexuality. With an expansion of education it would become easier for those who question their sexuality to explore the landscape of ideas, instead of trying to squeeze themselves into the black and white world of Heterosexuality and Homosexuality.
Examples like those listed above show why Asexual education is needed in the LGBT+. With their stand for equality for all sexual minorities, Asexuals have the right to belong in the LGBT+. If accepted into this community, the legitimacy of Asexuality as it’s own sexuality would increase. This legitimacy would be a foundation for a serious pursuit at educating individuals on Asexuality, and in turn, ending the sense of isolation and depression that so many Asexuals are burdened with (Yule 8). Without this vital education being available to the public, misinformation will continue through the generations and those who do not feel sexual attraction will never know that there is a community of others that they would be able to relate to.
This partnership with the LGBT+ community is desperately needed. Like those in the LGBT+ community, Asexuals are fighting stigma, bias, and discrimination, constantly fighting for equality. It seems it would make more sense for the entire community of LGBT+ and Asexuals to work together as equals. It is only logical that if two groups are working toward the same goals of equality and acceptance, they would achieve far greater outreach working together, rather than as rivals. The inclusion of Asexuals in the LGBT+ community would not only help the Asexual community, but aid to the already existing LGBT+ community. Facing many of the same bias and bigoted points of view and expanding the number of individuals united together can only be of assistance for everyone. However, the current perception is still that Asexuals don’t belong. The most common question raised is often why Asexual education is important when an absence of sexuality doesn’t affect how they live ((A)sexual)? This question was raised by Dan Savage, one of the most outspoken gay right advocates who tends to side against the inclusion of Asexuals in the LGBT+. He tends to believe that since Asexuality isn’t proudly worn on the sleeves of those who identify as such, it does not quite register as queer.
Yet it still stands that since Asexuals are categorized as queer, they belong in the LGBT+ community just as much as any of the others who are directly part of the acronym. Yet the final question is this; how does one fully connect the Asexual community with the LGBT+? To achieve this goal, it must be accepted that education from both sides needs to be combined cumulatively. One of the most convenient ways to combine information would be through online communication. Much like how AVEN has their online encyclopedia, the combined groups would be able to pull together both of their resources to make a convenient, all in one place, sexual minority area. With members of the LGBT+ and Asexual community working together as one community, the need advance in public awareness, media, and schools would be able to take place, now having the strong backing of a group all working for equality. Without the full acceptance of Asexuals in the LGBT+ community, these goals will never be fully met due to the lack of recognition that Asexuals have on their own. This loss of awareness would leave another generation to wonder “What’s wrong with me?” without knowing that there isn’t anything wrong.
This paper is the work of the poster. Any copying of this will be reported as plagiarism
(A)sexual. Dir. Angela Tucker. Perf. Aliza, David Jay. 2011. DVD.
Asexual Visibility "About AVEN." AVEN. The Asexuality and Education Network, 2001. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Bogaert, Anthony F. Understanding Asexuality. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. 83-94. Print.
Carrigan, Mark. "There’s More to Life than Sex? Difference and Commonality within the Asexual Community." sexualities.sagepub.com/. N.p., 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Jay , David. "Asexual Problems." 18 sept 2013. N.p., Online Posting to Asexuality.org. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/92745-asexualproblems/>.
Kemp, Jasmine. "Please Stop Talking About Cake." Easterner [Cheney] 17 Jan. 2014, Opinion sec.: n. pag. Print.
Kim, Eunjung. "Asexuality in Disability Narratives." Pinktherapy. N.p., 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
MacInnis, Cara C., and Gordon Hodson. "Intergroup Bias toward “Group X”: Evidence of Prejudice, Dehumanization, Avoidance, and Discrimination against Asexuals." Group Process and Intergroup Relations (2012): 725-40. Asexualawarenessweek. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Lingenfelter, Kath. "Better Half." House. FOX. Los Angeles, California, 23 Jan. 2012. Television.
Scherrer, Kristin S. "Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire.” NIH Public Access. N.p., 1 Oct. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Yule, Morag A., Lori A. Brotto, and Boris B. Gorzalka. "Mental Health and Interpersonal Functioning in Self-identified Asexual Men and Women." Psychology and Sexuality(2013): 1-13. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
