We’ve all been taught the narrative that you are born, you grow up, get married, have sex, have children and then die, leaving your bloodline to flourish. While that sounds medieval and outdated, it is a heteronormative societal expectation put on all people, especially women, who are often treated as pariahs if they do not want to have children.
In this day and age, I don’t have to explain how that is detrimental to a lot of the world’s population. While most tv shows, movies, books and journalists like to pretend that asexuality isn’t an extremely valid sexuality, it is very valid, and very real.
The misrepresentation and severe under-representation of asexuality and aromanticism in the modern world is a problem. The common narrative in all forms of media is a narrative of heterosexuality, we live in a heteronormative world. And while medias are becoming more open to homosexual and bisexual narratives (although even that is still a never ending fight), asexuality, aromanticism, demisexuality and so many other sexualities are rarely talked about or represented.
The validity of asexual people and how they are left out of all medias was a discussion that was brought up with the airing of “Riverdale” on Netflix, and the emergence of a character many fans identify with; Jughead Jones. I am not familiar with the Archie Comics, but I think recently the character Jughead, has been canonically asexual, and many fans were excited to see this representation play out on screen. That excitement quickly fizzled out to disappointment and outrage when Jughead began dating Betty Cooper and was quickly one of the canonically heterosexual relationships in the show. While viewers still don’t know what is in store for the couple and Jughead’s sexuality as he maybe discovers his sexuality and comes to terms with his asexuality, it was a major sting to the asexual community when a canonically asexual person was changed to be heterosexual.
This continues to be a fight for the LGBTQ+ community, with so many people trying to fight to see themselves represented in the media they ingest, and the fact that it is still a fight that’s being fought is really heartbreaking. You will always be valid, no matter what you’re feeling, whether you live within the heteronormative narrative or you’re bisexual who is in a relationship that people can perceive as heterosexual, or you’re bisexual in a relationship perceived as being homosexual, or you’re trans, or asexual, or aromantic or biromantic asexual or whatever you identify as, you will always, always be valid.
