File under: Things I did not expect in this month’s Cosmopolitan, but I am quite impressed by. Now if they could write a little more about it that would be great.
(Also if someone who was asexual could actually confirm this is an appropriate and nice response, because I’m assuming it is.)
reasons why asexuality & ace spectrum orientations need to be recognized and discussed in the mainstream media. i wonder how many people realized asexuality existed after reading this article? and looked into it and felt that relief of “i’m not alone!!! i’m not a freak!!!”
Color me impressed.
Yes, it is not only a nice response, but an honest, insightful and compassionate one. The writer has put their finger on what I think is probably the primary damage most asexuals grow up with: In a world where everyone seems obsessed with sex, where there seems to be absolutely nowhere to turn and no one to look to if you’re not, the almost inescapable conclusion (typically reinforced by the people around you if you seek advice from friends) is that you must be broken.
(And let me tell you, going through life with every movie, book, TV show, news article and poster ad—not to mention friends and family—telling you basically, “But you should want to bang this hot person right here!” starts feeling pretty rapey after a while.)
Stumbling across a small article in a random magazine that says, “Have you considered that maybe you’re not broken? There are other people like you. Look, there’s even a name for it” is…holy shit.