SEXTANT: masculinities, sexualities & decolonialities

ABSTRACT

Compulsory sexuality, which makes sexual attraction normative and compulsory, positions asexuality as a deviation from this societal norm. This article establishes the structural link between compulsory sexuality and experiences of inequality by investigating the mechanisms through which compulsory sexuality creates and sustains inequalities in the everyday lives of asexuals. It makes a unique research contribution because of its novel conceptualisation of compulsory sexuality into seven components: Pathologisation, Dehumanisation, Invalidation, Invisibility, Alienation, Denial of Epistemic Authority, and Sexual Pressure. The data, consisting of narratives published on several ‘confession’-style blogs on the social media platform Tumblr, shows evidence for all seven components as vehicles through which discrimination is enacted upon asexual individuals and the asexual community as a whole. I argue that these acts of oppression and discrimination enacted on asexuals compile to a broader issue of inequalities of respect and recognition caused by the epiphenomenon of compulsory sexuality.

KEY WOrDS

compulsory sexuality; asexuality; inequality; sexual normativity

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.