Is there aphobia?
Aphobia, and its subsets acephobia and arophobia, describe discrimination against asexuals (people who don’t experience sexual attraction) and aromantics (people who don’t experience romantic attraction). Some examples of aphobia are: assuming everyone will be in a relationship/have kids, devaluing platonic relationships compared to romantic ones, forcing people into sexual/romantic situations to "fix" them, and telling someone they’re wrong/broken/mentally ill because they don’t experience a type of attraction. Some examples of acephobia are: saying being ace is equivalent to having no libido, saying they’re a prude for not feeling sexual attraction, and saying that their romantic relationships aren’t "real" relationships because they’re not having sex. Some examples of arophobia are: saying being aro is just about using people for sex, calling people derogatory names (sl*t, wh*re, etc.) for having sex without romance, saying they’re cold and loveless because they aren’t dating.
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TV Show • 2017 Report
Yes
15
No
1
4
SiRenfield
A character that is asexual in the source material is straightwashed into an allosexual much to the backlash of fans and even their own actor
TV Show • 2004 Report
Yes
15
No
0
7
roseatespoonbill
S8
E8
There's an episode in which House doesn't believe in asexuality and bets Wilson it's a medical issue for one partner and the other is lying because she wants to stay with her husband. He is proven right.
TV Show • 2013 Report
Yes
14
No
0
6
lucy_burns
S2
E2
Season 2 Episode 18: Gina says to Terry and Amy “I'm sorry if we implied you're both asexual nerds who can only be friends with service animals.” Asexual is used as a derogatory term in this context.
TV Show • 2007 Report
Yes
9
No
3
4
silencesilence
Sheldon is strongly hinted to be asexual. His friends make fun of the way he doesn't understand sex.
TV Show Report
Yes
9
No
1
6
saste12
Characters constantly make fun of Sheldon's lack of sexual attraction to anyone throughout the series. Amy, Sheldon's girlfriend, constantly complains how he won't have sex with her.
TV Show • 2010 Report
Yes
9
No
1
0
People repeatedly make fun of Sherlock for not wanting to date anyone and having no need for sex.
TV Show • 1997 Report
Yes
8
No
7
TV Show • 2011 Report
Yes
7
No
3
TV Show • 2006 Report
Yes
6
No
0
3
SiRenfield
S3
E3
Okay there’s nothing egregiously offensive said about asexual people but I ESPECIALLY don’t recommend the episode Fertilityklok for having messaging valuing sex over relationships. Granted one we’re not supposed to be take seriously since the characters are meant to be idiots and assholes ,but could still be rather be invalidating to asexual people (and not even one that’s inversely validating to AlloAros either). In general the series is weirdly inconsistent on if Toki is into sex or not, and the latter is framed as a bit of a childish quality
Movie • 2015 Report
Yes
6
No
0
2
silencesilence
In this movie, it doesn't matter if you're happily single: you HAVE to find a partner, otherwise you'll be turned into an animal forever.
TV Show • 1966 Report
Yes
6
No
0
5
CheSnailTheAbomination
S2
E2
The episode The Apple focuses on a planet where the people don't date, have sex, or have children, which Kirk and Bones express is "wrong" and that they need to "fix" the people of that planet. Spock argues that they should not interfere and that the people are happy, but his opinion is quickly shot down.
TV Show • 2022 Report
Yes
6
No
0
1
BigBouncyBalls
Unintentional aphobia in towards an aspec character by their partner, but that gets resolved.
Movie • 1985 Report
Yes
5
No
3
1
SiRenfield
Herbert West is asexual if you take “Word of Saint Paul” (in this case a 1996 interview with Jeffrey Combs) into account. And I love him, I really do; but he does meet a fair amount of criteria for the amoral asexual stereotype. Edit: Judging by how much downvotes I get every time I mention the asexual thing, because how DARE I try to contradict a popular headcanon, here is my primary source: https://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/villa/5949/shockint.html
Video Game • 2014 Report
Yes
5
No
2
1
jdpamv
It’s impossible to make aromantic Miis and there’s no way of ensuring that they won’t want to have babies after marrying so kind of?
Movie • 1990 Report
Yes
5
No
1
0
mothyman
there's some discussion about herbert's lack of attraction to women, but it comes across more as homophobia in my opinion
Movie • 2019 Report
Yes
4
No
3
0
Amy17
Of the aromantic kind, quite a lot. Charcaters are always talking about love and how everyone finds someone to love one day
TV Show • 2020 Report
Yes
4
No
1
3
CheSnailTheAbomination
S2
E2
Season 2 has a plotline of a character pushing romantic love onto Picard because he's "miserably lonely" despite seeming content with being single, something also expressed in TNG. This loneliness later to be "excused" by trauma because of his mother's death, implying that anyone without a romantic partner is only that way because of trauma.
Anyone else aroace: be prepared for season 2 to tell you that you are broken and need to be fixed with a relationship.
Video Game • 2019 Report
Yes
4
No
0
2
jdpamv
Some of the lore is that “asexuality” is part of what caused the apocalypse, as people weren’t reproducing. The term is misused to refer to lack of sexual activity and it’s overall not painted in the most flattering light.
Anime • 2022 Report
Yes
4
No
0
1
ourtykes
The whole premise is of getting someone to fall in love and reproduce to improve the population, when they don’t want to, they keep fighting the whole idea
Movie • 2002 Report
Yes
4
No
3
3
SiRenfield
The sequel pretty much only exists to give Quasimodo a girlfriend to appease those dissatisfied that he didn't end up with Esmerelda
TV Show • 2018 Report
Yes
4
No
3
2
succession
It’s unclear whether or not Roman is ace or not, but he does get mocked for his lack of sexuality.
Short Story • 2011 Report
Yes
4
No
1
2
ErinHollow
In-universe, and it's more dismissive than discriminatory. Episode 4
Movie • 2005 Report
Yes
4
No
0
Movie • 2014 Report
Yes
3
No
0
1
nh17
The cult says love can only be romanic straight love. They are in the wrong
TV Show • 2004 Report
Yes
3
No
0
0
lunabee
yes 😭
it's mostly in one episode (can't remember which though)
TV Show • 2011 Report
Yes
3
No
1
2
SiRenfield
S1
E1
Shringold goes on about saving love for “your special one”, although bare in mind they are very clearly a villainous cult and the show is dissing heteronormativity in organized religion
TV Show • 1999 Report
Yes
3
No
1
Book • 2020 Report
Yes
2
No
0
2
HayleyWatson
The main character navigate her own asexuality, and can sometimes misunderstand it herself. There's also an exclusionist character who appears in one or two chapters who says some discriminatory things.
TV Show Report
Yes
2
No
0
1
Sys.Arc
S1
E1
A girl's sister and her boyfriend comment on the girl's virginity, mocking her, saying she must want to have sex, and offering to invite friends over for her to lose her virginity with. The boyfriend later approaches her and says he knows she's attracted to him and that she doesn't want to be a virgin. The girl says nothing during these times
TV Show • 2006 Report
Yes
2
No
0
-1
Ingeborg
Eddie is slut shamed for being sexual