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Outlines for Editing Asexuality

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Lead:

"The term may also be used as an umbrella term to indicate not only asexuality itself, but also a spectrum of diverse sexual orientations that fall outside of strict asexuality or complete allosexuality." (reverted)

Proposed Format

Definitions (Pre-existing)

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will revise/modify contained information if/as my research allows

Identity and relationships (Pre-existing)

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Sexual orientation and etiology (Pre-existing)

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Prevalence (Pre-existing)

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move from research section to its own header, expanding upon the data as much as possible [reverted back into Research header]

[move paragraph "The first study that gave empirical data [...] having sexual encounters in a variety of locations, and autoerotic activities." to this section from research section]

  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190693/The-fourth-sexual-orientation-One-cent-population-considers-asexual.html
  • Aicken, Catherine R. H., Catherine H. Mercer, and Jackie A. Cassell. 2013. "Who Reports Absence of Sexual Attraction in Britain? Evidence from National Probability Surveys." Psychology & Sexuality 4 (2): 121-135. doi:10.1080/19419899.2013.774161. http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/19419899/v04i0002/121_wraosabefnps
    • In contrast to Bogaert's suggestion in 2004 of a higher percentage, as indicated above, a study by Catherine R.H. Aicken, Catherine H. Mercer, and Jackie A. Cassell, published in 2013, suggests that, based on Natsal-2 data from 2000-2001, the prevalence of asexuality in Britain is only 0.4% for people between the ages of 16-44[1]. This percentage indicates a decrease from the 0.9% figure determined from the Natsal-1 data collected on the same age-range a decade earlier[1] Aicken, Mercer, and Cassell also found some evidence of ethnic differences among respondents who had not experienced sexual attraction; both men and women of Indian and Pakistani origin had a higher likelihood of reporting a lack of sexual attraction.[1] Muslims were also more likely to report this lack of attraction than respondents from Christian religions.[1] Bogaert also found a similar decline between the Natsal-1 and Natsal-2 data.[2]
  • Bogaert, Anthony F. 2004. "Asexuality: Prevalence and Associated Factors in a National Probability Sample." The Journal of Sex Research 41 (3): 279-287. http://search.proquest.com/docview/215279937?accountid=14771.
    • add something to make the percentage more tangible? Ex.: an approximate number to correlate to the percentage of the world population to more accurately depict the scope? (ex: Bogaert proposed his percentage based on 2004 data in Britain, compare the percentage to the total 2004 population of Britain)?
  • http://www.asexuality.org/home/?q=2008_stats.html

Research (Pre-existing)

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would like to break down the research by paradigms as much as possible - feminist/queer, medical, etc. - as well as overview as much research as possible, particularly that which has not yet been touched on in the article

Feminist Research

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[added after existing Paragraph about Milks/Cerankowski, which is to be moved from existing general "Research" header]

In 2014, Cerankowski and Milks edited and published Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives, a collection of essays intended to explore the politics of asexuality from a feminist and queer perspective. It is broken into the introduction and then six parts: Theorizing Asexuality: New Orientations; The Politics of Asexuality; Visualizing Asexuality in Media Culture; Asexuality and Masculinity; Health, Disability, and Medicalization; and Reading Asexually: Asexual Literary Theory. Each part contains two to three papers on a given aspect of asexuality research. One such paper is written by Ela Przybylo, another name that is becoming common in asexual scholarly literature. Her article in the Cerankowski and Milks anthology focuses on accounts by self-identified male asexuals, with a particular focus on the pressures men experience towards having sex in dominant Western discourse and media. Three men living in Southern Ontario, Canada, were interviewed in 2011, and Przybylo admits that the small sample-size means that her findings cannot be generalized to a greater population in terms of representation, and that they are “exploratory and provisional,” especially in a field that is still lacking in theorizations[3]. All three interviewees addressed being affected by the stereotype that men have to enjoy and want sex in order to be “real men.”[3]

Another of Przybylo’s articles, “Asexuality and the feminist politics of ‘not doing it’” was published in 2011, and takes a feminist lens to scientific writings on asexuality. She argues that asexuality is made possible only through the Western context of “sexual, coital, and heterosexual imperatives”[4]. She addresses earlier works by Dana Densmore, Valerie Solanas, and Breanne Fahs, who argued for "asexuality and celibacy" as radical feminist political strategies against patriarchy[4]. While Przybylo does make some distinctions between asexuality and celibacy, she considers blurring the lines between the two to be productive for a feminist understanding of the topic[4]. In 2013, "Producing Facts: Empirical Asexuality and the Scientific Study of Sex." was published in Feminism & Psychology. In it, Przybylo distinguishes between two different stages of asexual research - that of the late 1970s to the early 1990s, which often included a very limited understanding of asexuality, and the more recent revisiting of the subject which she says began with Bogaert’s 2004 study (see above) and has popularized the subject and made it more "culturally visible"[5]. In this article, Przybylo once again asserts the understanding of asexuality as a cultural phenomenon, and continues to be critical of its scientific study.

CJ DeLuzio Chasin states in Reconsidering Asexuality and Its Radical Potential that academic research on asexuality "has positioned asexuality in line with essentialist discourses of sexual orientation" which is troublesome as it creates a binary between asexuals and persons who have been subjected to psychiatric intervention for disorders such as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.[6] She says that this binary implies that all asexuals experience a life-long (hence, enduring) lack of sexual attraction, that all non-asexuals who experience a lack of sexual desire experience distress over it, and that it pathologizes asexuals who do experience such distress.[7] As Chasin says such diagnoses as HSDD act to medicalize and govern women's sexuality, the article aims to "unpack" problematic definitions of asexuality that are harmful to both asexuals and women alike. Chasin states that asexuality has the power to challenge commonplace discourse of the naturalness of sexuality, but that the unquestioned acceptance of its current definition does not allow for this.

  • Cerankowski, Karli June, and Megan Milks, eds. Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives. New York, New York: Routledge, 2014.
    • see if any other important articles to address

Asexuality in Psychology

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In a 2015 volume of The Journal of Sex Research, Anthony Bogaert, a social psychologist, argued that understanding asexuality is of key importance to understanding sexuality in general[2]. For his work, Bogaert defines asexuality as "a lack of lustful inclinations/feelings directed toward others," a definition that he argues is relatively new in light of recent theory and empirical work on sexual orientation[2]. This definition of asexuality also makes clear this distinction between behaviour and desire, for both asexuality and celibacy, although Bogaert also notes that there is some evidence of reduced sexual activity for those who fit this definition[2]. He further distinguishes between desire for others and desire for sexual stimulation, the latter of which is not always absent for those who identify as asexual, although he acknowledges that other theorists define asexuality differently and that further research needs to be done on the "complex relationship between attraction and desire"[2]. Another distinction is made between romantic and sexual attraction, and he draws on work from developmental psychology which suggests that romantic systems derive from attachment theory while sexual systems "primarily reside in different brain structures"[2].

Concurrent with his claim that understanding asexuality will lead to a better understanding of sexuality overall, Bogaert also discusses the topic of asexual masturbation to theorize on asexuals and "‘target-oriented’’ paraphilia, in which there is an inversion, reversal, or disconnection between the self and the typical target/object of sexual interest/attraction" (such as attraction to oneself, labelled "automonosexualism")[2].

In an earlier 2006 article, Bogaert points out that a distinction between behaviour and attraction has been accepted into recent conceptualizations of sexual orientation, which aids in positioning asexuality as such[8]. He adds that, by this framework, "(subjective) sexual attraction is the psychological core of sexual orientation"[8] He also addresses that there may be "some skepticism in [both] the academic and clinical communities" about classifying asexuality as an orientation, and raises two objections to such a classification[8]. First, he claims that there could be an issue with self-reporting (i.e., "a “perceived” or “reported” lack of attraction," particularly for definitions of sexual orientation that consider physical arousal over subjective attraction), and, second, he raises the issue of overlap between absent and very low sexual desire, as those with an extremely low desire may still have an "underlying sexual orientation" despite potentially identifying as asexual[8].

Research on Asexuals and Mental Health

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In a 2013 study, Morag Yule, Lori Brotto, and Boris Gorzalka looked into mental health variances between Causation heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, and asexuals.[9] The results of 203 male and 603 female participants were included in the findings. Yule et al. found that asexual male participants were more likely to report having a mood disorder than other males, particularly in comparison to the heterosexual participants. The same was found for female asexual participants over their heterosexual counterparts, however non-asexual, non-heterosexual females had the highest rates. Asexual participants of both sexes were more likely to have anxiety disorders than heterosexual and non-heterosexual participants, as were they more likely than heterosexual participants to report having had recent suicidal feelings.[9] Yule et al. hypothesised that some of these differences may be due to discrimination and other societal factors.

Documentaries

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unsorted;

Sexual activity and sexuality (Pre-existing)

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moving from research section; will revise/modify as much as the research allows; add a brief overview of the purple-red scale in alongside the discussion on Kinsey and Storms’ scales (include some of the criticisms that have been pointed out - may be difficult if unable to find "reliable"/"scholarly" secondary sources)

Community (Pre-existing)

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The AVEN triangle. Originally the logo of AVEN, this triangle has come to be regarded as a symbol of asexuality. The gradient pattern is intended to indicate the varying levels of sexual attraction across all sexual orientations.[10] (reverted; poor sourcing)

would like to organize this section more coherently and add to it with whatever resources I can (i.e., Acebook, AceSecrets, AVENues, etc.) -- some concern that this entire section will be unfortunately classed as poorly sourced

Online Community

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The online community is important not only for its informative aspects, but also for networking. AVEN, for example, is important not only for the knowledge it provides to those who may be seeking answers, but also for its forums, which provide an opportunity to communicate with other asexuals or persons who are questioning their sexual orientation, or to discuss matters that are relevant to the asexual community. Another social network within the asexual community is "Acebook," which is an online dating and social networking website that was created for members of the asexual community. With over 20,000 members and 85,000 messages exchanged,[11] Acebook is opened to persons eighteen or older looking for non-sexual relationships[12]. (Note that while Gray-A and Demisexual members are welcome, the goal of the website is to unite people searching for non-sexual relationships and companionship).[13]" (reverted; poor sourcing, visible note)

Some members of the asexual community opt to wear a black ring on the middle finger of their right hand as a form of identification.[7]

Symbols

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  • Black rings
  • Ace triangle image (reverted; poor sourcing for caption)
  • Aces as Asexual symbols (http://www.asexuality.org/wiki/index.php?title=Ace_of_Spades#Ace)
    ♥ Ace of hearts - romantic asexuals
    ♠ Ace of spades - aromantic asexuals
    ♦ Ace of diamonds - demisexuals and demiromantic aseuxals
    ♣ Ace of clubs - grayasexual and grayromantic asexuals
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may leave untouched unless any relevant research comes up

Controversies

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would like to elaborate upon and more clearly categorize issues and discussions regarding comparisons and connections to Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder; may move the discussion on autoerotic women to a 7.2 section instead of remaining in section 4, depending on the tone of the research (i.e., does it seem controversial or is it just a straight compare/contrast?)

Medicalization

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Asexuality in Pop Culture

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if time and research allow, I would like to develop a section on asexuals and asexuality in the media/pop culture

See also (Pre-existing)

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will likely leave untouched

References (Pre-existing)

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will be expanded throughout citation process

  1. ^ a b c d Aicken, Catherine R. H.; Mercer, Catherine H.; Cassell, Jackie A. (2013-05-01). "Who reports absence of sexual attraction in Britain? Evidence from national probability surveys". Psychology & Sexuality. 4 (2): 121–135. doi:10.1080/19419899.2013.774161. ISSN 1941-9899.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bogaert, Anthony F. “Asexuality: What It Is and Why It Matters.” The Journal of Sex Research 52, no. 4 (2015): 362-379. Doi: 10.1080/00224499.2015.1015713. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2015.1015713
  3. ^ a b Przybylo, Ela. "Masculine Doubt and Sexual Wonder: Asexually-Identified Men Talk About Their (A)sexualities" from Karli June Cerankowski and Megan Milks, eds., Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives (Routledge, 2014), 225-246.
  4. ^ a b c Przybylo, Elzbieta. 2011. "Asexuality and the feminist politics of ‘not doing it’." http://hdl.handle.net/10048/2078
  5. ^ Przybylo, Ela. 2013. "Producing Facts: Empirical Asexuality and the Scientific Study of Sex." Feminism & Psychology 23 (2): 224-242. doi:10.1177/0959353512443668.http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/09593535/v23i0002/224_pfeaatssos.
  6. ^ Chasin, C J DeLuzio. 2013. "Reconsidering Asexuality and Its Radical Potential." Feminist studies. 39 (2): 405-426.
  7. ^ a b Chasin, C J DeLuzio. 2013. "Reconsidering Asexuality and Its Radical Potential." Feminist studies. 39 (2): 405-426.
  8. ^ a b c d Bogaert, Anthony F. 2006. "Toward a Conceptual Understanding of Asexuality." Review of General Psychology 10 (3): 241-250. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.10.3.241.http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/10892680/v10i0003/241_tacuoa.
  9. ^ a b Yule, Morag A., Lori A. Brotto, and Boris B. Gorzalka. 2013. "Mental Health and Interpersonal Functioning in Self-Identified Asexual Men and Women." Psychology & Sexuality 4 (2): 136-151. doi:10.1080/19419899.2013.774162. http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/19419899/v04i0002/136_mhaifisamaw.
  10. ^ "AVEN Triangle". AVEN Wiki. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  11. ^ "Acebook Homepage". Acebook. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Acebook Terms and Conditions/Disclaimer". Acebook. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  13. ^ "Acebook FAQ". Acebook. Retrieved September 13, 2015.

Further reading (Pre-existing)

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may add additional resources

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will likely add a few additional resources

unsorted sources;

http://www.asexualexplorations.net/home/extantresearch.html -- list of various research resources, a bibliography of sorts

http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2015/03/06/asexuality-that-doesnt-mean-there-is-something-wrong/

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/asexuality-when-life-isnt-all-about-sex-10371135.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/04/life-without-sex-the-third-phase-of-the-asexuality-movement/254880/

Jolene Sloan, Lorca. 2015. "Ace of (BDSM) Clubs: Building Asexual Relationships through BDSM Practice." Sexualities 18 (5-6): 548-563. doi:10.1177/1363460714550907.http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/13634607/v18i5-6/548_aocbartbp. -- Community? Research?

Emens, Elizabeth F. 2014. "COMPULSORY SEXUALITY." Stanford Law Review 66 (2): 303-386. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1507220830?accountid=14771.

Janko, Karel. 2014. "LET US NOT BE UNFAIR TO ASEXUALS: THEIR EPHEMERALITY MAY BE EXPLAINED BY NEUTRAL MODELS WITHOUT INVOKING ANY EVOLUTIONARY CONSTRAINTS OF ASEXUALITY." Evolution 68 (2): 569-576. doi:10.1111/evo.12293. http://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/00143820/v68i0002/569_lunbutiaecoa. ---- skim article, may not actually be about human asexuality.

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