On “-sexual”.

One of the most common criticisms of the terms “asexual” and “demisexual” is that the suffix “-sexual” refers not to the act sex and sexual desires, but to the physical sex of the individuals involved. This argument is cissexist, poorly built, and ignorant in a few ways.

First, let me address the cissexism. While some people’s sexual attraction is based on sex, others are based on gender identity. Some have attraction regardless of gender expression or identity. By saying that -sexual refers only to sex, you are erasing the experiences of many queer people as well as denying the gender identities of many trans* people. 

Second, let me address the ignorance. Languages evolve. It is true that -sexual was originally used to refer to the sex of the individuals involved, and in fact terms like “bisexual” were used in science to refer to hermaphroditic organisms. (“Hermaphrodite” is not the same as “intersex”. The former refers to organisms with both differing sets of genitals, while “intersex” is a condition than can refer to intermediate genitals, genetic conditions, and more. However, “hermaphrodite” is also a serious slur against intersex people.) Language evolves, and the original meaning of a word does not always stick. this needs to be accepted.

Third, let me address why this argument is poorly built. The earliest queer rights activists, following World War II, rejected the term “homosexual”. The term they preferred instead was homophile, meaning “same love”. Why did they choose this? Because they were stressing love over the act of sex. This term was overrun in the 70s by GLBT, on top of “homosexuality” being removed as a psychological disorder from America’s psychological associations.

Not only are the uses of -sexual to mean sexual attraction common, but they are standard and have a long history. Trying to debunk the ace spectrums with semantics is baseless and bigoted.

(Source: licoriceplease)

@1 year ago with 30 notes
#asexual #asexuality #ace #submission