DNAindia - Alienated and stigmatised, asexuals have to forge a new space within sex-focused LGBTQIA construct

[CosineTheCat]

Alienated and stigmatised, asexuals have to forge a new space within sex-focused LGBTQIA construct

2016/02/14

“In India, though we may come off as prudish about sex, sexuality is a highly profitable commodity, and the asexuals are here to ruin it.”

If one were to pick the most crucial takeaway from Shambhavi Saxena’s 2015 essay When Cake Is Better Than Sex: Growing Up Asexual In A Straight World, this would be it. And if the number of shares is anything to go by, the features writer with Youth Ki Awaaz, an online platform for reportage and opinions, struck a chord with many whose identities are invalidated by the ‘sex makes the world go around’ collective.

[m4rble]

I liked that article, I guess the guy who said he was a bisexual asexual was a biromantic asexual by Aven's definitions. It annoys me when people say bisexuality and asexuality are opposites. There are two(probably more actually) different dimensions of sexual orientations, how much sex someone desires and who(what sex/gender(s)) someone desires sex with. Bisexals are no more the opposite of asexuals than heterosexuals or homosexuals are. I found it really weird that it said in India being a virgin is valued but being an asexual is looked down upon(for a woman)

[Scarlet]

I find it hard to believe that EVERYONE in India feels this way about asexuality, my best friend is Indian (born and raised there) and is currently in India right now but when I came out to him and explained the whole asexual umbrella he accepted all of me and understood perfectly where I was coming from but maybe I was just lucky with him :P

[m4rble]

I can't imagine everyone in India would feel the same way about anything considering there are nearly a billion people in India.

[R_1]

I can't imagine everyone in India would feel the same way about anything considering there are nearly a billion people in India.

This, and there's no conclusive evidence on how the world as a whole would treat us asides from irrelevant studies and irrelevant anecdotes. But that being said, if LGBTQ - identified individuals are treated awful as in being beaten or killed over there, there is the risk of inviting some asexuals to those issues were if they wanted to make asexuality overtly associated with the community. Covertly, that's fine over there, and that's probably the best if it were the case that LGBTQ individuals are being treated that bad. I really do not think we should invite problems to another group unless there's no risk of elevating the problems.

Just looked up homophobia in india, wow it is so awful. Not liking the idea of trying to invite asexuals to have the risk of dealing with more severe form of xenophobia purely by association. There are asexuals who wants nothing to do with the LGBTQ community while there are some asexuals who would rather not deal with more severe form of xenophobia.