The Escapist

fuckyeahasexual:

Make It Canon

I already wrote an article on why you should include asexuals in your writing, and today I’d like to continue that train of thought. In part because from the time I first wrote this following article and now, I have a book deal! This fantastic news came with extra worries. Such as how I wanted my own characters in Hello World represented.

We all know the harmful stereotypes. The cold, distant, and logical characters that we see in shows like Big Bang Theory, Sherlock, Doctor Who, even Dexter. This is a stereotype that many aces would like to move away from. But the thing is, some asexuals are cold and distant, who do prefer logic above many other things. Just because someone reflects the stereotype that doesn’t make them any less valid. So, what’s the real issue here?

In ace community there is something called a gold-star asexual. You see this concept in other LGBT+ groups, but here it means that the person lacks the traits often blamed for asexuality, and thus proves that identity is not caused by any of those things. But, the issue isn’t that these character types wouldn’t get this imaginary star, it’s that they aren’t cited as asexuals. (Further Reading: Tumblr post about non-canon problems.)  

The ace stereotype seems to be reserved for characters who are so “different” from the rest of the cast that there is no other explanation besides them being asexual. Which is not only missing the point of what asexuality is but also devalues, dehumanizes, and ostracizes actual asexuals.

No matter how much I love the Sherlock, the Doctor, and Castiel, they simply don’t count as ace representation. If they were, the issue would be that asexuals lack diverse personality types in media.

To be frank, I’d gladly take any ace representation done with an ounce of respect. It doesn’t matter if they are “damaged” because there are real aces that also don’t fit that gold star mold who are just as valid as everyone else. It’s time we start telling people that.

The show House is notorious for its “asexual” characters. When the episode aired views for the Wikipedia article on Asexuality jumped from four thousand to fifty thousand. Not only did the episode portray them in a negative light, neither of the two “asexual” characters were actually ace. Both were literally proven defective.

I actually remember watching that episode when it aired. It came out about a year before I did. The assumed-to-be-aces caught my attention as someone relatable. That fact that the representation could have been given, but was taken away within the same episode added to my delay of even realizing that asexuality was a valid choice. Consider the proven power of representation by that page view jump. Except here, using the word only to prove someone isn’t asexual does harm.

The missteps of not having canon asexuals makes me so happy to see things posts like You are ace enough and I Am Asexual And… Because they remind us that there is no perfection for asexuality, there is no test to get into the community. Nothing can tarnish your sexuality. Your identity is valid, always.

This is one time where writers need to break the “show, don’t tell” rule. Just say it. No more coding characters without actually using the word. No more copping out by letting the audience decide. Just make it canon.

I know some authors are afraid of this. I know even as an asexual with an asexual lead I was worried. I’m not a gold-star ace and I wanted to provide good representation, to make everyone proud. I wanted Scott, the protagonist of Hello World to be a “good asexual.” The fear that people would discredit him, because he too wouldn’t get that stupid star, or worse, might be considered harmful because of those things was there. However, nor did I want Scott’s asexuality to go so under the radar that he’d be ignored by someone who would hate that part of him. I didn’t want to stick on a post-it note of ‘hey, he’s ace’ after publication like J.K. Rowling did with Dumbledore being gay.

But now, I’m proud that I can say I have a book deal with an asexual as the lead. Because the key difference between Scott and the other characters mentioned is that he canonically represented. He is ‘Asexual And’, he is ‘ace enough’, just like you might be.

As it turns out, all you really need for solid representation is write truthfully, and make it canon.