Direction of Asexuality Related Research

[EGAD!]

I am curious about what people think about the direction research should go pertaining to asexuality.

I hope the categories are exhaustive enough, but then again that is why it is always a good idea to have an 'other' option.

Out of intellectual curiosity it would be interesting to know how the research pertaining to the "cause" of asexuality compares to other research done, but in all honesty I think that particular area of research is a waste of time. So far there has been no "cause" found for a homosexual, or bisexual orientation much less a heterosexual orientation so I do not see anyone finding a cause of asexuality anytime soon.

I am not as intimately familiar with the LGBT movement as I would like to be, but my general impression is that this type of research has not done much to encourage people to be more accepting of people who are less than exclusively heterosexual.

All the other options I think would be much more useful.

[Lord Happy Toast]

I'm personally interested in researching what "causes" asexuality, but I think that a lot needs to be understood better first before any kind of real progress could be made--especially given that "asexuality" is probably a bunch of different things all kind of mushed together into one group. (I didn't vote for it.)

In terms of future research, I think there are basically three kinds: quantitative work, qualitative work, and historical/cultural work. I'm especially interested in all three, but I think a lot has to be better understood before serious progress on the quant. side can be made. Recent studies all seem to be focusing on the qual. side of things (as in, studies currently underway). I would love to see some good historical/cultural work as well. (I am aware of a few people at least with interest generally in this direction.)

Also, with quant. work, there is the question of whether to do it via recruiting from AVEN or whether to do it via non-internet recruiting.

[Angelnoir]

I would like to know what causes asexuality...but I would also like to see research on a cultural level...a geography research on asexuality.

Geography as such has a variety of intresting shades...that would just sum up a lot ...like demographics,culture and natural sciences.

[Jockey]

I'm the other vote. While causes are interesting, I want not just causes but correlations. We know that lesbians get more breast cancer- how about asexuals? Do asexuals really have a 0% risk of HPV infection of the sort that causes cervical cancer? What is the prevalence of hormonal disorders among asexuals before, during, and after puberty? Are asexuals at greater risk for prostate cancer (as suggested by somebody in the Q and A forum)? How about osteoporosis?

I see a doctor in a gay and lesbian health clinic and she doesn't know what health risks exist for people who spend their whole lives celibate because the data does not exist!

[gray_imagination]

if it was completely as an intellectual exercise I wouldn't mind scientific reasons "why", but since that seems unlikely I didn't pick that one. Of course, now there will be a dystopia scifi movie where the answer to population control is manipulating whatever "it(s)" may be to, rather than just preventing pregnancies, to make people asexual.