Introduction

N.B. (Ed.), Asexy Life (2010), cover page.

Omnes et Nihil (Ed.), F-ACE-ing Silence, Issue 3 (2015).

Even though language describing asexual spectrum experiences is fairly new, asexual stories are an important part of queer history. While identifying such stories is complicated by the lack of consistent language and differing social climates of times past, queer archives allow us to continuously reinvestigate our stories to find community with those who came before us.

Our collection of explicitly asexual materials here at The ArQuives is limited. These materials primarily consist of 2010s zines and essays, many of which have been digitized for your access in this exhibition. The limitations of our current collection reflect the reality of asexual marginalization in the queer community and broader society at large, along with the comparatively recent creation of distinctly asexual spaces. However, this project proves that we can find stories reflecting attitudes and orientations that we would now associate with asexuality in our existing archive — demonstrating that asexual experiences have long been a part of the queer world.

For example, investigating Progressive Era (1896-1920) feminists and spinsters with an asexual lens allows us to find stories of people like Alice Hamilton and Kathlyn Oliver, whose first-hand experiences questioned the heteronormative culture of compulsory sexuality in their own time. These women found community with other women living outside of the heteronormative, binary world, sharing their perspectives on sex and sexuality while grappling with the weight of still being misunderstood by their peers. Their stories demonstrate the importance of later advancements in understanding, vocabulary, and advocacy in queer and feminist spaces as we seek to carve out places for ourselves and each other.

Our 2010s zine collection contains shockingly similar stories, featuring voices from the asexual spectrum reflecting on compulsory sexuality, concerns about fitting into the broader queer community, asexual palatability to the broader public, and more. Despite radically different contexts, these contributors' experiences share common elements that challenge the notion of ‘normal’ both within and outside of queer spaces.

We hope that this project will offer insight into historical discussions on sexuality in queer spaces, and most importantly, allow our asexual community members to find solidarity in those who came before us: we have always been here. Our stories form a crucial component of the patchwork that is queer history.

Please note: The materials and zines in this exhibit may contain language and subject matter that may be difficult for some readers. This includes outdated and explicit language, and discussions about racism, religion, sexual relationships, sexual assault, abuse, objectification, body dysphoria, erasure, and medicalization, among others. These are first-hand perspectives from individuals from different times and cultural contexts, and are accordingly varied in their content.