What is Asexual erasure?
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- Category: Asexuality 101
- Published on Thursday, 25 August 2011 17:20
- Written by Lara Tacita
- Hits: 1831
(Note: Asexual News is not responsible for the content of this graphic. It is simply a link to a Tumblr blog).
Asexual Erasure is a term that gets use by Asexuals quite a bit. Bisexual erasure is a similar condition that Bisexuals experience. What a person may not know is what the term means. Erasure is the accidental or intentional attempt to ignore the existence of a person’s orientation. One such example is found here, taken from a Tumblr user who goes by the alias of Aceslutshamers.
The most important example of Asexual erasure occurs in the medical and psychiatric communities. Psychologists and Psychiatrists use a manual that describes Asexuality but does not even mention the word Asexual directly. The existence of HSDD is an example of unintentional erasure. The condition has improved only slightly with the wording of the DSM 5.
The most common examples of Asexual erasure occur when an Ace tries to tell another person about Asexuality. Common responses, such as the ones shown in Swankivy’s Asexuality Top 10 Series are a good example. The person on the receiving end of this information has to find a reason other than Asexuality.
The refusal of American television producers to create an openly Asexual character rather than just hint at the Asexuality of a character is another example of Asexual erasure. To be fair, it is pretty hard to show a character’s Asexuality. While this is an example, it is one of the least important examples.
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