Polish asexualities: Catholic religiosity and asexual online activisms in Poland

Abstract

This chapter explores Polish asexual activism through an analysis of posts on the largest Polish-language forum devoted to asexuality, the Asexual Education Network (SEA). We focus on two themes in particular: Polish asexuals' alliances and antagonism to LGBTI+ identities and Polish asexuals' articulations of religiosity. We find that asexuals express ambivalence regarding their participation in LGBTI+ activism, with some arguing for inclusion in the community and others taking explicitly homophobic and transphobic positions. While most asexuals understand their identity as a secular sexual orientation, some use Catholic-influenced concepts of purity and supremacy to conceptualize it. We conclude that Polish asexual activism online is not uniform in its political alignments; rather, it can be and is mobilized for both progressive and conservative purposes depending on its conceptualization.