People on the asexuality and aromanticism spectrums experience some unique forms of discrimination and prejudice from other LGBTQIA+ groups. Recently, Atiya McGhee (a doctoral student at Syracuse University) and I published an encyclopedia entry on anti-asexual discrimination and prejudice—and specifically on allosexism.
Allosexism is a system of attitudes, structures, biases, and discrimination that situate allosexuality (i.e., experiencing sexual attraction) and alloromanticism (i.e., experiencing romantic attraction) as normal and superior while situating asexuality (i.e., experiencing no/low sexual attraction) and aromanticism (i.e., experiencing no/low romantic attraction) as unnatural and inferior.
Some common examples of allosexism include negative attitudes and beliefs about asexual and aromantic people as confused, immature, dishonest, underdeveloped, backward, and repressed. Allosexism is often expressed in indirect ways, such as implying that true adulthood and full humanity necessitates the presence of sexual and romantic attraction.
Allosexism facilitates asexual erasure (the denial of asexuality as a legitimate sexual identity) by questioning whether asexuality itself is a valid sexual orientation. Allosexist attitudes frame asexuality as a marker of sexual abnormality or one’s individual choice to be nonsexual, celibate, or abstinent.
Atiya and I explain that allosexism pops up in various parts of society, including medicine, media, religion, the law, education, research, and even in LGBTQIA+ communities. In medicine, for example, asexuality is often mistakenly treated as an illness rather than as a sexual identity. In educational settings, even sex ed classes that are generally LGBTQIA+ affirming usually neglect to acknowledge the existence of asexuality. College course on LGBTQIA+ identities also frequently leave asexuality out of the curriculum.
For many readers, religion and the law might be the most surprising realms where allosexism pops up. Queer and feminist studies have done an excellent job highlighting how conservative religious spaces can be sexually repressive. Yet, as I’ve written about recently purity culture both represses and compels sexuality. As a result, many asexual people from conservative Christian backgrounds experience significant asexual erasure within their religious communities.
Examples of allosexism in legal frameworks has been less documented than other instances of allosexism. Nonetheless, it is important to note that allosexism emerges in legal settings as well. For example, in 2018, the Dutch Council of State refused an asexual Algerian national’s asylum application, stating that asexuality does not fall under LGBT protections and that asexual people are not discriminated against in Algeria. Although this decision was later overturned, it is a high-profile example of allosexism in the law and an example of excluding asexual people from the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.
If you’re interested in reading our full encyclopedia entry on allosexism, you can find it at this link.
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Thanks for this article. I've tried to explain to folks how purity culture also compels genital sexual expression. I'd like to read the article you linked to, above, but I get a message directing me to log in with another account or contact you for clarification. I have appreciated your work in this area. Keep up the good work!