I really don’t think there is any “vanilla enough to be comfortable in Mormon culture”—Mormon culture teaches overwhelming repression of fundamental sexual drives. It tries to make people feel guilty for masturbating, for Cthulu’s sake.
I don’t care who you are, what your orientation is, what your kinks are—that kind of repression is damaging.
Wouldn’t the expectation of bearing children be a bit of a problem there? Mormons are supposed to have (procreative) sex eventually, as I understand it.
Still, it was a mistake on my part to try to hold and defend the proposition “there is no such thing as a well-adjusted Mormon”—I’m sure they are a few. My point is simply that the belief structure is very widely damaging—that knowing nothing about Wednesday, the overwhelming probability is that she would be much better off were she free of it.
Yes, they are expected to have kids, but asexuals don’t have to be repulsed by sex, it just doesn’t interest them in and of itself. The one I mentioned plans to have children naturally if possible and doesn’t talk about sex as a horrifying ordeal, just a neutral prerequisite. If she were going to adopt, I’d expect her to talk about the paperwork similarly.
Impressed you said so publicly and hope it helps people feel less restrained from “coming out” in general. I would not have been able to do so were I in a position like yours. I was able to recently share something a few orders of magnitude less difficult to talk about.
I really don’t think there is any “vanilla enough to be comfortable in Mormon culture”—Mormon culture teaches overwhelming repression of fundamental sexual drives. It tries to make people feel guilty for masturbating, for Cthulu’s sake.
I don’t care who you are, what your orientation is, what your kinks are—that kind of repression is damaging.
What if you’re a (romantically inclined) asexual?
Edit: They exist. I know one. (I also know a non-romantic asexual, so I know the difference.)
Wouldn’t the expectation of bearing children be a bit of a problem there? Mormons are supposed to have (procreative) sex eventually, as I understand it.
Still, it was a mistake on my part to try to hold and defend the proposition “there is no such thing as a well-adjusted Mormon”—I’m sure they are a few. My point is simply that the belief structure is very widely damaging—that knowing nothing about Wednesday, the overwhelming probability is that she would be much better off were she free of it.
Yes, they are expected to have kids, but asexuals don’t have to be repulsed by sex, it just doesn’t interest them in and of itself. The one I mentioned plans to have children naturally if possible and doesn’t talk about sex as a horrifying ordeal, just a neutral prerequisite. If she were going to adopt, I’d expect her to talk about the paperwork similarly.
As a member of the aforementioned subgroup, I endorse this representation. Well said.
Impressed you said so publicly and hope it helps people feel less restrained from “coming out” in general. I would not have been able to do so were I in a position like yours. I was able to recently share something a few orders of magnitude less difficult to talk about.
huh, didn’t know that, thanks =)