Is Acephobia a Good Term to Use?

Details: Category: Cake Recipes; Published on Monday, 02 April 2012 22:27; Written by Lara Landis; Hits: 673

A recent article in Asexuality 101 touched briefly on the subject of Acephobia. The simple article was intended to be nothing more than a definition of a term used by some people in the community. Although it failed to do this on a number of levels, it did spark an unintended debate. Some people thought it was an endorsement of the term rather than an attempt to define it.

Critics of the post believed that the statement was not really necessary and that Aces do not experience the level of hatred that Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals do. Members of the LGBT community have displayed what might be considered Acephobic behavior, but they represent the individual opinion. The author is going to give her opinion of this in such a manner that the reader is clear that it is her opinion.

I am not a fan of Acephobia or Asexophobia as terms. She is not a fan of squish* either, although the reasons for disliking these terms are different. They are words that actually need to be used rarely when it comes to issues Asexuals face. Patholigization, confusion and denial all have their place in the discourse about Asexuality. Erasure occasionally has a place describing the problems the community as a whole faces.

The problems Aces faces are different than what our LGBT cousins face. Oppression may occur later, but there are benefits that come from being invisible as well. As Aces become more prevalent, their problems may become clearer and more problems may become present. Being in a rush to court new problems that other groups face is an odd strategy. Homoromantic, Biromantic and Transgender Asexuals already face these problems.

*The most likely reason is that the author is a bitter, old curmudgeon.