Serious Is asexuality on the LGBT spectrum?

[Her]

It's a topic I've seen debated for a few years now - some feel like asexuals are a valid component of the LGBT banner, others consider asexuality to not be LGBT by itself and while it in itself is valid, is not what should be traditionally called LGBT (or 'queer', if you lean that way). I'll leave my own thoughts until later in the thread, though I come down on the second option.

What do you think?

 

[Charlie Brown]

people who are ace/aro are by definition not cishet and therefore should be welcome under the queer banner if they wish to identify as queer

there's no "oppression metric" that needs to be met to be queer, we all have different experiences and face varying levels of oppression by different people, within and outside of the queer community

 

[HarrisonWilliams]

Spectrum seems like the wrong word. LGBT is more like a conglomeration, not a spectrum. I mean you can design spectrums buy they would look like ...

Asexual > Hyposexual > Mediumsexual > Hypersexual > Omnisexual
Homosexual > Bisexual > Heterosexual
Androphile > Bisexual > Gynephile
Trans > Genderqueer > Cis
Male > Bigender > Female

Stuff like that.

 

[moon]

people who are ace/aro are by definition not cishet and therefore should be welcome under the queer banner if they wish to identify as queer

there's no "oppression metric" that needs to be met to be queer, we all have different experiences and face varying levels of oppression by different people, within and outside of the queer community

Yeah, isn't the point of the community to welcome anyone who doesn't fit into the modern overwhelming norms, and work towards getting them accepted? With exceptions of course; I don't mean to start a discussion on whether harmful inclinations should be allowed. But asexuals certainly don't harm anyone :)

Spectrum seems like the wrong word. LGBT is more like a conglomeration, not a spectrum. I mean you can design spectrums buy they would look like ...

Asexual > Hyposexual > Mediumsexual > Hypersexual > Omnisexual
Homosexual > Bisexual > Heterosexual
Androphile > Bisexual > Gynephile
Trans > Genderqueer > Cis
Male > Bigender > Female

Stuff like that.

I agree, spectrum is probably not the best word for it, as it implies there are extreme points in between which everything else must fit. "Used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points." [ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spectrum ]

Actually, if we stop thinking about it as a spectrum between points (such as more or less hetero, more or less sexual etc) it makes more sense to involve asexuals in a LGBTQ+ community, right? Circling back to my first statements in this post, I can imagine that with the focus in media and society around us on sex and love, those who do not feel like pursuing that can easily be made to feel like there is something wrong with them. I think they need an accepting community to stand behind them too. Perhaps it's not traditionally "queer" in some people's minds, but some sources do define queer widely enough for asexuality to be included without even a stretch~

"Denoting or relating to a sexual or gender identity that does not correspond to established ideas of sexuality and gender, especially heterosexual norms." [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/queer]

"of, relating to, or being a person whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual and/or whose gender identity is not cisgender" [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/queer]

 

[juliorain]

I think the "spectrum" encompasses all expressions of gender and sexuality (and the lack thereof). It's a multidimensional set of axes and asexuality falls under the axis of the intensity of sexual expression.

 

[Taemin]

I like to think asexual people can fall into the LGBT spectrum, because it's all supposed to be sexualities outside of the norm.

If you're asexual people certainly can still judge you, because I myself don't care much about sex at all, and when I tell people that they look at me really weird and ask how that's even humanly possible.

My issues probably come from my issues with my gender itself, as to why I dislike sex, but I also just have a really low drive for it? idk if that relates too.

Either way, if someone is just asexual in their own right, that does make people judge them, so I think that definitely has it's place in the LGBT related community.

 

[Palamon]

Of course it is. In my opinion, anything that isn't straight is LGBT+ People are going to look at you like there's something wrong w/you when you say sex doesn't interest you.

 

[Ninetales]

I'm asexual and admittedly I was even confused to whether or not I would be categorized as LGBT. Personally, I just view myself as someone with a lack of sexual desire and that's it. I wouldn't really consider myself "queer" because I don't feel that the term truly describes me.

 

[gimmepie]

Frankly, if you want to march under the LGBT+ flag and still have the gall to discriminate against someone based on their sexual or gender identity, you're probably even crappier than the straight people doing the same. If anyone alive should be understanding of the suffering that kind of discrimination brings, you'd think it'd be people who have historically been victimised by it.

 

[moon]

I'm asexual and admittedly I was even confused to whether or not I would be categorized as LGBT. Personally, I just view myself as someone with a lack of sexual desire and that's it. I wouldn't really consider myself "queer" because I don't feel that the term truly describes me.

Oh, that's another view that's important to hear tbh. Perhaps some don't want, or feel a need, to be associated with the LGBTQ community.

 

[Noblejanobii]

Since I'm not ace/aro myself I can't really speak for them and what they want, but personally I think if they want to be included, they should be. People include the "A" in the extended version of the acronym for a reason and if the people who preach acceptance won't accept other people, then they're worse than the people who are outright bigoted. At least with them you know they're bigoted, but having a community you believe you belong in turn on you is an awful feeling.

That said, I can understand the sense of unsureness since while I think I'm somewhere around demisexual or pansexual, I'm really not sure and wouldn't classify myself as "queer" either since... well I just don't feel like I belong under any particular flag. None of the labels or flags seem to fit. So I think it should be left up to the individual as to whether or not they want to be part of the community, but if they decide to be, they should be accepted with open arms.

 

[Sydian]

let them in. asexuality is a hard thing to dice. you don't have to face a certain degree of oppression just to be able to fit into the lgbt+ community. and asexuality is something considered "not the norm" in terms of sexuality. like i said, it can be a difficult thing to dice and a hard thing to come into and figure out that you are, especially when we live in a society so sex-heavy. it's akin to, say, being comp het in a sense.

i think it's absolutely nonsensical to shun a group from the community on the basis of "oh they didn't struggle enough" or "their lack of sexual attraction doesn't mean anything" like. that's ridiculous. and in the former case, that's like saying bisexual people in het passing relationships don't count when they're literally a part of the main acronym. in the case of the latter, it's...not a fun realization to come to, especially if you've been with someone for years and you're like WOW i sure 8) can't do this thing 8) feels like fuckin shit. you feel like something is wrong with you -- which is a common thought when you're going through the "am i gay/trans/whatever" process too. it shouldn't be a thought, because nothing is wrong with any of these identities. but anything that's not cis or het tends to go through a 'this is wrong and i'm wrong' mindset, especially depending on where and how you grew up.

tl;dr we should be uplifting each other, not gatekeeping. there are things that obviously do not belong in the lgbt+ community, but asexuality isn't one of them. i've always thought the a in the longer acronym was for aces anyway? hm.