Position on the Dignity and Rights of Asexual Individuals

[jesus dario]

Find a resource on the position and rights of asexuals on the topic of how asexual people can live in an environment using the link below: 

 

https://www.aasect.org/asexual-rights

[everywhere and nowhere]

It's worth adding that this statement tackles the problem of anti-asexual conversion pseudotherapy. And working against it is very needed, because it might be even more common (at least in relative numbers) than anti-gay or anti-trans conversion pseudotherapy. People who provide it might very well abhor trying to "convert" gays into being straight just as much as we do - and yet, operating under the prejudice that asexuality means that a disturbance happened in the development of "normal sexuality", might pester their asexual clients into trying to change their orientation.

With conversion pseudotherapy gradually becoming banned in many places, I wouldn't like asexuality to be left behind and still treated as a problem, when homo- and bisexuality are long recognised as sexual orientations.

[Lord Happy Toast]

Several years ago (c. 2008), I was curious about using a "conversion therapy" argument concerning asexuality, so I read up on conversion therapy.  (At the time, the discussion was mostly about trying to get gay men to be straight and occasionally trying to get lesbians to be straight.)  My take away from the stories of people being harmed by it was that most of the harm was caused by wildly unrealistic claims of efficacy (e.g. oh you're a good candidate for this, if you try really hard then it can work. Which, of course, meant that when it almost invariably didn't work, patients would then see it as a moral failing on their part. Or if it was in a group setting, no one wanted to be the one to admit that it wasn't working, resulting in everyone lying to each other and themselves.)  My personal take away was that the situation with asexuality wasn't really analogous, and so it wasn't a good idea to make the argument.  However, I don't recall ever arguing this in the community because it wasn't anything anyone else was talking about at the time, so far as I can recall.

 

Do we have clear evidence that whatever it is we're wanting to define as asexual conversion therapy is harmful?  Or is it mostly a guess based on analogy with other sorts of sexual-orientation-based conversion therapy?

[LeChat]

 

5 hours ago, Lord Happy Toast said:

...Do we have clear evidence that whatever it is we're wanting to define as asexual conversion therapy is harmful?  Or is it mostly a guess based on analogy with other sorts of sexual-orientation-based conversion therapy?

Hi! Thank you, for sharing your thoughts. If it helps, here's a link to Yasmin Benoit's Stonewall Project; it includes a link to the report, which explains how and why conversion therapy is harmful for asexuals.

 

It's one, quick example. It's something she's been helping spread the word about to U.K. politicians, for example, because asexuals aren't recognized under the Equality Act.

 

I hope this helps!

 

UK's first asexual rights initiative - Stonewall partners with Yasmin Benoit for the "Ace Project" - Announcements - Asexual Visibility and Education Network (asexuality.org)

 

@jesus dario (Below is an official, green, mod message.)

 

Hi! I'm just letting you know your thread was moved from the "Education and Visibility Projects" forum to the World Watch forum.

 

As a helpful reminder for all members, it'd help staff if World Watch posts were labeled. See

[READ BEFORE POSTING] Here's what we need from you when posting to World Watch - World Watch - Asexual Visibility and Education Network (asexuality.org)

 

...as an example, with these filled out...

There are examples in the World Watch archives.

 

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Thank you!

 

LeChat,

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