Edward Heath - Asexual?

[A Different Mononoke]

There has been a few mentions of asexuality on the BBC today in discusion over Edward Heath. Namely that he has been accused of being a peodophile but a close friend thought that was unlikely as he seemed to be asexual. There is the article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33917063

"You usually detect some sense of sexuality when you are friends or work closely with them. I think he was completely asexual. There are some people like that and I think he was one of them."

What is asexuality?

• People who are asexual do not experience sexual attraction
• Asexuality can mean sex and romance are decoupled. Some asexuals have very close friendships, while some have romantic but not sexual relationships

And on the today program on BBC Radio 4 today (14/8/15) it was mentioned in the initial interview with the friend at 2 hours twenty minutes in thereabouts. The last five minutes of the program were dedicated wholy to a discussion of what asexuality is with an asexual person and a Phd student studying asexuality.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0651nty

[That asexual guy]

Yeah. This has actually been in the news in several different reports from different sources for about two weeks now.

[Jump]

I really liked the today program section, I thought it was very respectful. They did NOT do the thing that often happens, which is casting doubt on asexuality by saying something like "...people who claim to have no sexual attraction....". They just said "people who feel no sexual attraction..". I liked that a lot!

[Quintus Crinis]

It's long been questioned - including on here whether Heath was gay or Ace.

However why are the BBC only mentioning it now? First time it's mentioned in conjunction to a celebrity and it's being linked to allegations of paedophilia, really doesn't help awareness/visibility particularly. :(

[nerdperson777]

Well there can be people with differing romantic and sexual orientations even if they're not asexual, but it's more rare to be seen.

[Bristol]

However why are the BBC only mentioning it now?

Lord Armstrong gave the BBC an interview on the 14th (see OP), defending Heath and stressing that he was "completely asexual".

[Whofan York]

That stuff blew my mind. The material with the asexual person went out in early 2012 and led me to the AVEN site for the first time, so I'm thrilled it's getting another airing. But I'm worried. The BBC do all this visibility work for us (exactly the sort of thing the BBC should be doing) but what next? What if Heath turned out to be guilty of paedophilia? The tabloids would have a field day and they'd never see anyone as 'really asexual' again.

[iff]

That stuff blew my mind. The material with the asexual person went out in early 2012 and led me to the AVEN site for the first time, so I'm thrilled it's getting another airing. But I'm worried. The BBC do all this visibility work for us (exactly the sort of thing the BBC should be doing) but what next? What if Heath turned out to be guilty of paedophilia? The tabloids would have a field day and they'd never see anyone as 'really asexual' again.

That is a concern that if Mr. Heath allegations are true, it us very damaging to asexuals.

It unfortunately has been used before on the BBC website as such http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/107396-alleged-paedophile-uses-asexuality-as-a-defence-in-courtdiscuss/#entry1060907101

[Cicero]

This has also been posted on BBC News.

[Apple Tree]

LBC did an hour about asexuality yeaterday, starting with a psychologist called Penelope Bond asserting that asexuals are short, thin people who have life long health problems and cold, distant parents!

Then the presenter went on to interview 3 or 4 asexuals about their experiences of life, he asked each one if they would change if they had a chance, they all said no. This went out between 7 and 8 last night.