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[–]yousaythosethingsFind and Replace "gatekeeping" with "having boundaries" 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Why does Reddit seemingly have such a high self-identifying asexual population? There are people I know IRL who I suspect are but they don’t openly label themselves as such and aren’t part of any such real world community as far as I can tell.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I can't say anything for sure ... but my guess is people who don't want to be seen as sex objects are rejecting sexuality completely. It's mental health as well as a social issue. To keep themselves safe in "inclusive and open" society, they're using asexuality to remove themselves from it, since that's the only way their boundaries will be respected.

[–]Femaleisnthateful 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Redditors are typically very young. For many of them, their only exposure to sex is through pornography. I've read speculation that the various pharmaceuticals many children are given at increasingly young ages may be a factor as well.

I suspect that the 'asexual' label, much like the trans label for women, is more about asserting boundaries and maybe in this case, protecting themselves from the grooming they encounter online.