Only 1 In 10 Asexual People Feel Comfortable To Be Out At Work

Only one in ten asexual people feel comfortable being out at work – half don’t come out to anyone, says a landmark report into the experiences of asexual people in the U.K.

The report, Ace In The UK, by asexual activist Yasmin Benoit and LGBTQ charity Stonewall, also found asexual people face vast and “dehumanising” discrimination across society, health and in the workplace.

Asexual people experience little, fluctuating or no sexual attraction. The ace community makes up between 1-2% of the population, according to the U.K.’s most recent National LGBT Survey.

The report highlights how many asexual people face hostile work environments. Many face sexual harassment and intrusive questions about their asexuality from colleagues.

Just one in ten (9%) of asexual people reported being open with all colleagues at a similar or lower level than them. To put that in context four in ten (39%) of the rest of the LGBTQ community felt comfortable being out.

Meanwhile, half (49%) of ace respondents weren’t open with any colleagues, compared to two in ten (18%) of all LGBTQ+ respondents. This increased with senior colleagues and even more so with customers and clients. Eight in ten (78%) felt unable to be open with clients, compared to just over half (51%) of all LGBTQ respondents.

The report also covers an analysis of U.K. healthcare settings. Here, two in ten (18.1%) asexual people reported coming out had a negative impact on their care. The report found asexual people face acute discrimination in reproductive health enviroments like smear tests. Some even reported inappropriately having their asexuality assessed as a mental health condition.

Stonewall, the U.K.’s largest LGBTQ charity, co-authored the report and believe amending the Equality Act is now required. They’re urging the government to add a reference to the “lack of” sexual orientation to the act. This is similar to the protection and wording for people with and without religious beliefs.

However, while legislative change for asexual people is unlikely in the short term, Director of Communications and External Affairs at Stonewall Robbie de Santos, tells me organisations don’t need to wait to make their workplaces better for asexual people:

“While we urge the U.K. Government to better protect ace communities in the Equality Act 2010’s Statutory Guidance, we also need employers to step up and learn how to better support their ace employees.”

Santos recommends that asexual people be included in diversity, equity and inclusion training and within LGBTQ employee network groups.

Overly sexualised workplace cultures set the backdrop for asexual discrimination in the office

One the reasons why many asexual people feel unable to be out at work is largely due to an existing context: overly sexualised workplace cultures.

The report found it was a key driver for being cautious about whether to be open.

One participant in a focus group for the report received a workplace well-being email from the HR team. It highlighted “having sex to boost endorphins” and “improve your mental health”. The asexual person described it “very abrasive” and “uncomfortable” to have an email recommending sex to improve your mental health.

“Sadly, many respondents expressed concern about facing sexualisation and inappropriate remarks, if they were openly themselves at work,” Stonewall’s Robbie de Santos tells me. “We know that these situations are sadly not unique to asexual employees, but it’s concerning to see ace people having to hide who they are for fear of facing backlash and hostility.”

For asexual activist Yasmin Benoit, a model who has done lingerie shoots, being sexualised isn’t just a workplace issue of course – it’s part of her every day.

“My appearance as a Black woman is inherently sexualised,” she tells me. “My asexuality is misunderstood, and that combination often provokes aggressive reactions. Many are still socialised to view things through a sexualised lens.

For Benoit, this societal issue makes many workplaces “unintentionally sexualised environments” which puts asexual people at a particular disadvantage.

For example, the report notes how many asexual people have recieved feedback about being less engaged or aloof for not taking part in some workplace conversations. This leaves them out of the loop on opportunities, and struggling to benefit from workplace cohesion.

Benoit explains that because society sees allosexuality (having sexual attraction) as the default, being on the outside of that is “perceived as abnormal” and that because of the lack of awareness about asexuality, it’s often assumed that it’s been caused by something negative.

In terms of how this can be applied in the workplace, Benoit says that even simple changes in conversation can go a long way.

“These sexualised [workplace] environments also make it more likely that we’ll be asked whether we’re ‘seeing anyone,’ which might seem like an innocent question, but it puts those who aren’t out in an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous position.”

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