Asexuality Research

A tumblr blog dedicated to sharing our asexuality research. Help us spread the word! You can find us on twitter @asexualstudy! (Header image by sumenya and can be found on RedBubble)

[asexualityresearch]

Hey Guys, Gals, and Non-Binary Pals!

Sorry we’ve been MIA for awhile! The school year started back up and one of us is going to school in New York and the other in Oregon so we’ve been having trouble lining up schedules! Just know that we are committed to researching asexuality and getting more information out there about this wonderful community! We haven’t forgotten about you guys, I promise! As the term gets closer to the middle or to the end depending on which of our universities you’re looking at, we’re determined to make time to look at and continue our research.

In the meantime, today is the last day to vote if you’re live in the US and are eligible. Please vote! Make the time. Every vote counts! We come from a very small very silenced community but now is the chance to get our voices heard. Not only for those who are aspec but for all LGBT individuals. We can do this if we all work together. I believe in every last one of you and no matter how this election works out we will be fine. The LGBT community is nothing if not resilient. Vote please.

Have a good rest of your day and I hope to speak with all of you again soon.

[asexualityresearch]

Here’s to anyone who has ever felt wrong or broken because of their sexuality or gender identity. You are valid and you are not broken. Bigotry is the problem. If people think something is bad about you feeling comfortable in yourself, they don’t deserve you.

[hottestaceinthisplace]

If you don’t believe being asexual has any negative affect on people I was told by a psychiatrist that none of my relationships count because we didn’t have sex, and I can’t say I’m gay since I don’t want to have sex with girls.

and I was taken off my antidepressants because they may be lowering the libido I never had in the first place (plus various other reasons, but still immediately, cold turkey, which should NEVER happen unless they’re switching you to something else)

But aphobia doesn’t exist and asexuals are privileged, right?

[bitterqueerandtired]

Sorry to add to this but I wanted to say since I’ve had bad experiences with mental health professionals and biphobia, I usually get asked “but are you sure you are sexually attracted to both sexes, are you sure it’s not just an emotional attraction?!” Like my dude don’t you think I can tell the difference between wanting to date someone and wanting to be friends? Also, due to be gray ace 90% of the time I am not even attracted to anyone but like sure, make me feel guilty that I can’t “prove” my bisexuality.

[lesbianpeachs]

Sorry too but to add on, being aro isn’t much different. I told my therapist and she was immediately concerned that my meds were repressing “all my emotions” and wanted to take me off them. My insurance ran out and I went off them bc of no money before that happened. She also suggested dating someone anyway to “fix” the “issue” and expressed concern that my emotions (romantic feelings) weren’t present because “I’m suspicious and untrusting of everyone and don’t want to try hard enough.”

Having your orientation medicalized and invalidated is bad enough, but its fucking dangerous to have your meds taken away because you’re not performing relationships the way some doctor thinks you’re required to.

[star-anise]

Aaaand this is why we need the bi/pan/ace/aro alliance.

[grandmaestheticc-deactivated201]

this is why we need to recognize more queer experiences and identities than gay and lesbian, through increased awareness, information and representation.

[asexualspectrumspector]

My hand slipped…  (P.S. It’s transparent!)

[asexualcheetah]

Join the alliance!!

[hoardofhyperfixations]

Yes!!

[smitethestate]

I love it, I have joined the alliance effective immediately, I love all my ace/aro/bi siblings.

[ironwoman359]

solidarity, baby

[fuckyeahasexual]

Read The Article Here 

I’ve been going back and recording ace history from years ago, largely about topics that at the time were of note, but weren’t distant enough to recap as if it was a touchstone until now.

This post covers that clash that happened when aces started to openly show up in fandom spaces on tumblr. How that conflict was largely between aces (of all sorts) and straight white women. 

While this article may seem like old fandom drama, it’s written in a way to show the inter-connectivity between groups, how community ideas spread, and how the companies behind fandoms can actually easily protect their LGBTQ fans.  

TW: Discussions of biphobia, acephobia, racism, and homophobia

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

You haven’t done anything wrong if you lied about your orientation to keep yourself safe, or because you weren’t ready to be out yet. You are allowed to keep your identity private for any reason.

[adhd-vibes]

Ads: s*x sells!

Me, ace af:

[theoceanowl]

🖤💜

[queergaymer-blog]

[tracecourse]

a lot of shit i hear in the discourse reminds me of actual things homophobes say irl and it’s… really troubling?

“preteens identifying as ace is sexualizing!” whenever i headcanon a character as gay or bi/pan, my mom tells me, not everything has to be sexual. lgbt identities are viewed as inherently sexual and inappropriate for children.

“why do you feel the need to talk about being ace? it’s tmi, no one needs or wants to know about your sex life except your partner.” i’m not against your lifestyle, just keep it in the bedroom, okay?

“telling kids they can experience sexual attraction is grooming.” please stop conflating minority orientations to pedophilia, this has been used against gay people forever.

“asexuality is a disease and doesn’t naturally occur.” do i even have to explain this one?

what i’m trying to say is that it’s really hurtful for me, an ace lesbian, to hear this rhetoric used against me by straight people because i’m gay, then go into lgbt spaces–which are supposed to be safe for me–and hear other gay people saying almost word-for-word the exact same things, this time directed against my asexuality.

please stop using these arguments. don’t repackage homophobic rhetoric and use it against a different minority orientation.

[acesian]

Me @ people trying to turn every aspect of my identities into a “discourse”:

[asexualityresearch]

We’ve realized as we go through more and more articles that a lot of asexual research fails to emphasize the importance of self identification. Even our own research failed to include that as a part of our agreed upon definition.  For scientific research, you have to include a definition so any audience can follow along with what you’re saying but it’s imperative that these definitions include self identification as a caveat.

All that matters when it comes to finding a label for yourself is what makes you comfortable, not what other people see.

[asexualityresearch]

Angela Chen is releasing a book exploring what it means to be asexual in a world that considers sex to be directly tied in with humanity. The book’s expected release date is September 15th of 2020 and is up for pre-order now on Amazon! We’ll be checking it out so we thought we’d share the book for anyone else who may be interested!

[stilesisbiles]

I’ve been told: 

That I’m a ‘straight invader’, 

That I’m ‘going through a phase’

That I’m ‘really gay’ and ‘suffering from internal homophobia’

That what happened to me ‘wasn’t conversion therapy’

That my identities are ‘disgusting’ and ‘a threat to children’

Examples of who it was a phase for to ‘prove’ it’s a phase for me as well

That if I don’t ‘admit’ most if not all people like me are ‘gay with internal homophobia’ gay children will hate themselves for years thinking they’re my identities instead of gay

That the rape and murder of gay people is my fault

That I ‘steal resources’ from gay people

That I’m lying about being sexually assaulted ‘for attention’ as my identities are ‘attention seeking’ so I shouldn’t be trusted

That if I go to pride I’m ‘invading’ a space that doesn’t belong to me

That every bit of abuse that happened to me because of my identities either ‘didn’t happen’ or ‘didn’t count’ as oppression 

‘Why do you want to be oppressed so badly?’

I’m talking about being bi and trans, but I see every one of these things said to ace and aro people on a daily basis.

[amatopunk]

people when someones canon orientation is erased: don’t erase people’s orientation for your ships!!! we need more canon rep and erasing it is wrong!!

people when the character in question is aspec: eh nvm who cares lol

[feminismandmedia]

Aphobes: "inclusionists are gross and talking about asexuality publicly is tmi especially with minors!"

Aphobes: *pulls this shit*

Anyways, aspec peeps please stay safe on Twitter & Instagram!

[asexualityresearch]

Trauma for one person cannot be equated to that of someone else’s. While going through our data, I’ve read a lot about people saying that the aphobia they’ve experienced isn’t as bad as the homophobia that gay people experience. That doesn’t mean it hurts any less. 

If we really want to compare traumas, ace people have been raped in an effort to fix them. They’ve been told that something is wrong with them and that they’re something broken. They’ve forced themselves to have sex. They’ve faced disrespectful question after invasive question. They’ve faced disbelief, people “forgetting” that they came out, passive aggressive comments, and harmful stereotypes.

I’m not saying that these are exclusive to the ace community, because it’s not. But that’s my point.  I’ve heard these same stories from people all over the LGBTQIA+ acronym. Just because someone’s sexuality and their trauma is more visible doesn’t mean that the ones hidden away in the shadows are experiencing anything less.

What I’m really trying to say here is that what hurts one person may not hurt someone else but you don’t get to say what someone is feeling. Take the time to listen and empathize. You may not understand what someone is going through but you don’t get to discredit their experiences.

[fuckyeahasexual]

[View Database Here]

Find ace characters within video games, comics, novels, TV, anthologies, movies, and more!

Including the series name, character name(s), #ownvoices, on page or word of god, age group, genre, and if other rep is featured. (Updated: 8/11/2020 )

[fuckyeahasexual]

New characters incoming!

Julian Blackthorn - The Dark Artifices

Anonymous - Our Dreams at Dusk

Two questioning aces from - Little Black Bird

Zach - Christmas Lane

Sophie Fournier - Breaking The Ice

Grade Pembleton - The Stroke of Thirteen

Isaac - Bonds: Family Matters Series

Julia - Who I Was With Her

Orien Moore - Forever Moore

Two aces from - Scionic Cycle

Rick - Rick

Hazel - Hazel’s Theory of Evolution

Two cool things about this list. At least a third of characters are demisexual and two are children’s books! :D