There is an increase in the negative views of queer and LGBT+ people in America, and I argue that it is, in part, due to the sexualized connotations of, and sexual association with, queer and LGBT+ identities. Innocuous acts by queer or LGBT+ people, such as being an out school teacher or holding hands in a public space, is enough for non-LGBT+ people to become uncomfortable to varying degrees and, sometimes, even cause verbal abuse or violence. When we look at queer or LGBT+ representation through the possibility of queerness, and by reading representations of queer and LGBT+ romantic attraction through non-sexual signs such as sacrifice, affection, desire, and trust, we begin to normalize non-sexualized identities of queer and LGBT+ people. Importantly, we validate non-sexual romantic expressions and relationships of all kinds, asexual included. We also work towards positive and non-sexualized representations of queer and LGBT+ people being reproduced by institutions of knowledge production, such as media and academia.
","abstract_html":"<p>There is an increase in the negative views of queer and LGBT+ people in America, and I argue that it is, in part, due to the sexualized connotations of, and sexual association with, queer and LGBT+ identities. Innocuous acts by queer or LGBT+ people, such as being an out school teacher or holding hands in a public space, is enough for non-LGBT+ people to become uncomfortable to varying degrees and, sometimes, even cause verbal abuse or violence. When we look at queer or LGBT+ representation through the possibility of queerness, and by reading representations of queer and LGBT+ romantic attraction through non-sexual signs such as sacrifice, affection, desire, and trust, we begin to normalize non-sexualized identities of queer and LGBT+ people. Importantly, we validate non-sexual romantic expressions and relationships of all kinds, asexual included. We also work towards positive and non-sexualized representations of queer and LGBT+ people being reproduced by institutions of knowledge production, such as media and academia.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Patel, Unnati"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master","degree_discipline":"Women's and Gender Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Mario DiGangi"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:22Z","subjects":["Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","sexuality","asexual","romantic attraction","non-sexual","desire"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3743","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Mario DiGangi"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Patel, Unnati"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-04-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Women's and Gender Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","sexuality","asexual","romantic attraction","non-sexual","desire"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3743"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["There is an increase in the negative views of queer and LGBT+ people in America, and I argue that it is, in part, due to the sexualized connotations of, and sexual association with, queer and LGBT+ identities. Innocuous acts by queer or LGBT+ people, such as being an out school teacher or holding hands in a public space, is enough for non-LGBT+ people to become uncomfortable to varying degrees and, sometimes, even cause verbal abuse or violence. When we look at queer or LGBT+ representation through the possibility of queerness, and by reading representations of queer and LGBT+ romantic attraction through non-sexual signs such as sacrifice, affection, desire, and trust, we begin to normalize non-sexualized identities of queer and LGBT+ people. Importantly, we validate non-sexual romantic expressions and relationships of all kinds, asexual included. We also work towards positive and non-sexualized representations of queer and LGBT+ people being reproduced by institutions of knowledge production, such as media and academia.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Desexualizing Queer Identities: Methods to Validating Non-Sexual Romantic Attraction and Relationships"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Mario DiGangi"],"dc:creator":["Patel, Unnati"],"dc:date.available":["2020-04-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["There is an increase in the negative views of queer and LGBT+ people in America, and I argue that it is, in part, due to the sexualized connotations of, and sexual association with, queer and LGBT+ identities. Innocuous acts by queer or LGBT+ people, such as being an out school teacher or holding hands in a public space, is enough for non-LGBT+ people to become uncomfortable to varying degrees and, sometimes, even cause verbal abuse or violence. When we look at queer or LGBT+ representation through the possibility of queerness, and by reading representations of queer and LGBT+ romantic attraction through non-sexual signs such as sacrifice, affection, desire, and trust, we begin to normalize non-sexualized identities of queer and LGBT+ people. Importantly, we validate non-sexual romantic expressions and relationships of all kinds, asexual included. We also work towards positive and non-sexualized representations of queer and LGBT+ people being reproduced by institutions of knowledge production, such as media and academia.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3743"],"dc:subject":["Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","sexuality","asexual","romantic attraction","non-sexual","desire"],"dc:title":["Desexualizing Queer Identities: Methods to Validating Non-Sexual Romantic Attraction and Relationships"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Women's and Gender Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:22Z"}