Rights group Outright International presents report on discrimination against asexual people
International LGBT rights organization Outright International has presented a report on discrimination and violence against asexual people in different countries. The paper is dated October 2026; LGBTQ Nation covered its findings on October 22.
The paper draws on contributions from British activist Yasmin Benoit and ten representatives of asexual communities from ten countries. They took part in two online focus groups in June 2026. It reviews existing research and testimony, rather than presenting a new representative survey capable of measuring discrimination worldwide.
Asexuality means experiencing little or no sexual attraction to other people. It differs from voluntary celibacy and does not rule out romantic relationships or sexual activity.
The authors describe school bullying, workplace harassment, sexual violence and barriers to healthcare. They also examine attempts to change asexual people’s orientation and cases in which it is treated as an illness requiring treatment.
In the 2022 Ace Community Survey, 8,958 respondents on the asexual spectrum answered a question about conversion therapy. Of these, 7.8% said they had been advised to undergo it because of their asexuality, 3.1% had been offered it, and 0.5% had undergone it. Multiple answers were allowed, so these percentages cannot be added together. Participants volunteered to complete an online questionnaire; the findings do not represent all asexual people.
Another example is research published by King’s College London in February 2025. Among 400 participants in England, 23% considered asexuality a mental health problem, while 71% supported legal protection for asexual people. The researchers explicitly stated that this sample was also not nationally representative.
Outright proposes clearer inclusion of asexual people in anti-discrimination laws, research and LGBT organizations’ work. The authors also ask how to prevent unwanted treatment of asexuality while preserving access to medical care for people distressed by a lack of sexual desire or attraction.
Urania previously reported on the inclusion of “asexual practices” among punishable acts in Niger’s new Penal Code. The law does not define what “asexual practices” means.
