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Asexuality featured on TV show Sirens.


mayve

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During the episode, one of the main characters becomes interested in an openly asexual character, so throughout the episode they talk about asexuality and show some of the things asexuals hear all the time. Keep in mind though it's a dark comedy and some of the characters don't take asexuality seriously. I have a link to watch it online on my blog here.

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There's an openly asexual character!!! :o :o :o

Awesome finding :cake:

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There's an openly asexual character!!! :o :o :o

Awesome finding :cake:

I know, I freaked the freak out.

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Wow! Nice one. BTW, that episode was kind of sweet in a weird way. ^_^

I think I'm gonna catch up on this show, just to trace her character development/story arc.

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I enjoyed the two episodes of Sirens I had already seen a when I learned they were broaching the topic of asexuality. How unexpected! I was both hopeful and worried when I heard the news. Now that I’ve seen the episode I would say I am pleasantly surprised. I’ll post my impressions here so stop reading if you wish to avoid spoilers.


The new guy, Brian has developed a crush on his female co-worker nicknamed Voo Doo. When he expresses this interest to Hank and Johnny they inform him of her asexuality in their usual reciprocal banter.


Hank: She’s not like other girls.

Brian: I know. That’s why I like her.

Johnny: She’s not like other humans.

Brian: Yeah. She’s different.

Johnny: different.. dark

(Its worth noting that Voo Doo has some habits that would be considered odd regardless of orientation.)

-later in the same conversation-

Hank: She’s asexual.

Brian: Meaning?

Johnny: She doesn’t have sex.

Brian: With?

Hank: Anyone.

Brian: Ever?


It goes on from there. They treat it in casually but with some derision. If you are looking for a reason to be offended, you can find one. But, to me, this conversation and another similar one a bit later in the episode seemed realistic and genuine. People joke about things that make them uncomfortable. It gave me the feeling of being privy to what other people’s conversations about me might be like. That was enlightening.


Brian takes it upon himself to learn about what asexuality is. He goes online and finds information about the community and even mentions the grey triangle symbol to Hank and Johnny who are not very interested. When Brian approaches Voo Doo with his newfound knowledge, I felt a twinge of nervousness. If anything was going to disappoint me, it was this exchange. But, the things I was worried about didn’t happen. She was not a compromised version of asexuality. She wasn’t made so foreign and unapproachable that she was turned into an unusual background prop. She’s just an unpredictable character who doesn’t fit into any readily available categories. When she answers him she is honest and patient. She isn’t defensive but you get the feeling it’s a conversation she’s had before.


Voo Doo: You seem like a nice guy, Brian, and if you want to be friends, I’m cool with it. But, sex? bleech! Not goanna happen.


The final scene is appropriately awkward and touching. Brian tells her that he is ok with not having sex because he just enjoys being around her. He gives her a morbid gift that is perfectly suited to her and they spend some time together that seems mutually enjoyable.


I can’t imagine how this episode came across to a sexual person (or even another asexual) but in my opinion, it is a success. The writers almost seemed to be going down a list of common asexual misconceptions and handling each one with humor and respect. I hope that they will remain true to the orientation and I look forward to seeing this unconventional relationship grow.

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The short lived ABC Family series "huge" also had an openly asexual character, Poppy. Too bad the series only lasted 10 episodes.

Here's a link to the coming out scene on youtube :

Here is a description of the character Poppy from the Wikipedia page for the tv series :

Zoe Jarman as Poppy - the girls' ever-cheerful, fairy-like counselor. She is often very supportive and protective of both the girls she watches over and the rest of the campers as well. She is asexual. She was once overweight and attended Camp Victory herself.

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Saw the episode. Thanks for the post.

This is kind of the problem with having an asexual character in a tv show right now. Since she's the ONLY one really, she's stuck representing everybody, and we all very so much. She should really only stand for herself, but since she might very well be one of the only openly ace characters, she might very well end up being what people think of when they think ace.

She's openly sexually negative, which is fine since she should only stand for herself, but I know if someone asked me how I felt about sex my answer would be more along the lines of, "I really like the idea of sex, and there's some stuff about sex that I know I would like, like intense snuggling and kissing, what have you, but there's nobody I've been into that way. Maybe if I was in a really loving relationship I could try out experimenting with a partner. We would probably just try out some naked snuggling. But then again that would get me worried that they might mistake me for sexual. That would be bad cause I'm not and I wouldn't want to be into them in a sexual way. I just get curious in general, ya know. But, I'm not wanting to do it anytime soon."

Of course that's a really LONG answer so it's pretty understandable to short it down to a no thanks.

The character sure isn't bad in anyway. I just wish there was more characters that were ace and different to balance things out.

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She's openly sexually negative, which is fine since she should only stand for herself, but I know if someone asked me how I felt about sex my answer would be more along the lines of, "I really like the idea of sex, and there's some stuff about sex that I know I would like, like intense snuggling and kissing, what have you, but there's nobody I've been into that way. Maybe if I was in a really loving relationship I could try out experimenting with a partner. We would probably just try out some naked snuggling. But then again that would get me worried that they might mistake me for sexual. That would be bad cause I'm not and I wouldn't want to be into them in a sexual way. I just get curious in general, ya know. But, I'm not wanting to do it anytime soon."

And you know what virtually everyone would immediately think about a person who said this?

Sexual, but repressed. Just hasn't found the right person. Bet they're really a freak in the sack. etc etc.

In other words, message lost.

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I looked at the episode of sirens, episode 6, entitled "the finger" (in case you haven't seen it). So, Brian wins over the asexual voodoo with a human finger.

My problem is that the asexual community already has enough stereotypes to deal with, the last thing we need is people thinking they can win us over with human fingers. Not cool at all.

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I wouldn't say he won her over. They just hanged out. She seems pretty aromantic to me.

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I feel like stereotypes are always going to happen. It seems like the best way to go about things is to get the idea out there first, then work on getting the details more right. And, honestly, I could think of much worse stereotypes...

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I wouldn't say he won her over. They just hanged out. She seems pretty aromantic to me.

Well let's see how the character develops in upcoming episodes.

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I just watched it and I thought it was great.

I mean regardless of what the character is like, since she is pretty much the only canonical ace character on TV right now, you could say that no matter what she does it will become a stereotype. However I don´t believe that will be the case since her character was well introduced before her sexuality was even mentioned.

I would rather have an interesting character like Voo Doo, than a bland character who is purposefully made as "normal" as possible just to represent an entire sexuality.

The fault here is in the lack of asexual characters, not on this particular representation.

I also loved Brian since the first episode and I just gained so much respect because he actually researched instead of disregarding it. Granted he did assume she just hadn't "met the right guy yet", but writers need a way to turn down these preconceptions to get to the truth and when he is told otherwise he accepts it really quickly. I think everyone should take note on that reaction. I already loved this show and now I'm really excited to see how this relationship develops.

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Captain Darkhorse

Honestly, Sirens is doing really really well in terms of dealing with negative gender and sexual stereotypes. Hank is an openly gay man but isn't the stereotypical flamboyantly-gay guy. Johnny is portrayed as having both feminine and masculine qualities and having BOTH be accepted. And now with Voo Doo being asexual (and Brian being ok with it!), I really want to give the producers a big round of applause for doing things right.

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Ya, I think I will have to check out more of the series. Sadly though I can't find it on Netflix.

Blasted Canadian Netflix having such a small selection. And yes, I know you can hack it and make it think you are from the US, but I really don't want to break the law.

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I don't watch a lot of tv, but it am going to check out the other episodes of sirens (I only watch episode 6 so far). I think its worth watching.

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NumberOneWhovian

My computer for some reason wont download the episode:( I really want to start watching this show!

This makes me extremely happy though:) I know she's only "one character" BUT IT'S A HUGE START GUYS!

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My computer for some reason wont download the episode:( I really want to start watching this show!

This makes me extremely happy though:) I know she's only "one character" BUT IT'S A HUGE START GUYS!

I streamed it on couch tuner. Worked well.

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I've not seen it, but don't you think it would be fun to welcome new members to the forum with pictures of severed fingers instead of cake? :lol:

Asexuality: it's metal. :twisted:

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Has anybody seen the new episode?

I was confused, they are not in a relationship? I thought they were, they kind of acted like it.

Besides, I think she's a really cute character. Yeah, she likes gore but that's that. I doubt people would associate that with asexuals.

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oooh I'll have to check it out, from what i've read here it's worth a watch.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anybody knows if Sirens will be picked up for a 2nd season? The season's finale looms. I hope it gets a second season.

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  • 6 months later...

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i’m, of course, a little ruffled because a) asexuality isn’t about not having sex, it’s about lack of sexual attraction b) asexuality is an orientation not a movement c) we don’t have our own society, we have online communities that are support networks and to raise awareness and d) why da fuck she named voodoo?

but i’m sure i’ll be less critical (or more?) when i’ve watched the show

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Ignorance is the first step towards enlightenment?

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Cereal Tendencies

I'd take it with a grain of salt, since the show is a comedy after all.

Everything is tweaked out of exaggeration, for the full comedic effect-especially to allosexual viewers.

a) definition-wise yes, telling the guy who had a crush on the ace that she doesn't have sex with anyone is just a more forward way of shutting him down from trying to pursue her.

b&c) again the guy feels like he discovered the unicorn's den- complete exaggeration

d) why not? I like her name :D

Again, it's comedy

I actually applaud the writers for including this little tidbit, albeit not that educational but very helpful awareness-wise

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Honestly, I appreciate any visibility that is portrayed in a relatively non-negative light - it looks like (from the admittedly small sample size of those clips) that the guy is approaching it with the idea of wanting to understand her instead of convincing her that she's 'wrong', so that's cool.

Initial exposure of something like this is always going to be a little shallow/incomplete/simplified for comedy/etc, but I have hopes that this is the beginning of a positive trend in TV. Also, it helps when people tell their friends/families about being asexual - instead of freaking out because they know nothing about it, characters like this give them context that they can base their understanding on.

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littlepersonparadox

I think this is a postive step forward. It's better than they could have done it. They don't shrug it off as a one off thing that dosen't matter, and yes it's incompleate but it's trying to put a positive spin and not encouraging that it's just a phase but a genuine thing that's ok. Also I like that the character doesn't take part in pride parades. We are part of the LGBT+ end of things (or at least i think we fit) but it points out that sexuality doesn't' have to be a defining characteristic about someone even though there putting so much attention on it.

it also points out that sex isn't the most important thing in relationships not something common on TV. 95% of the time it's the opposite they are saying if your not having sex it's not a relationship. It's oversimplified but as far as having something like this goes they have done a far decent job at doing it. Now if they can show sexual exploration as a asexual that would be amazing but were in the early stages still of teaching asexuality to people. one step at a time right.

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I don't like the character. Come to think of it, I don't particularly like the show either, but that may just be me.

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