Understand the LGBTQIA+ news: Asexual people face discrimination "at greater levels" than most other marginalised groups

Last week we published an investigative scoop showing how Health Secretary Wes Streeting had met with a group of parents who, by their own admission, abuse their trans children.

Streeting expressed his sympathy for the “traumatic experiences” these parents and their families with trans children had been through.

We published it because no-one else in the mainstream press would - despite the journalists we worked with, Sasha Baker and Valeria Rocca, pitching it widely.

Since we published the story, a cross-party selection of LGBTQIA+ political party groups has joined a chorus of prominent activists in the UK calling for Streeting's resignation.

And the group of parents took note too. The Trans Safety Network obtained leaked screenshots of the reaction to our story in the group. 

One parent asked: “I’m just checking that we don’t actually promote conversion therapy”. Another responded: “If advising kids to accept biological reality is conversion therapy I’m all for it.”

This pseudoscientific approach is internationally decried and often takes on forms of abuse and torture.

The story has gone on to set queer news agendas and be picked up in other LGBTQIA+ titles.

QueerAF investigations make an impact, because even though we're a small publisher - we're a mighty one.

We're in the middle of a critical crowdfunder. We need your support to ensure stories like this not only make it to light - but cut through the noise.

Please, donate to our LGBT+ History Month crowdfunder, and ensure we can continue to deliver quality queer journalism, so you and activists can use it as a tool for liberation:

Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. The QueerAF newsletter is written by Jamie Wareham and a different queer creative each week.

💬 This week:

• Asexual: A new study, which is believed to be the first of its kind, has found many young people hold serious misconceptions about being asexual. We look at the study - which features work from QueerAF contributor Yasmin Benoit.
• Trans+ Disabled History: Ree Young felt less alone by learning about disabled trans figures from the past - but they were left asking, as they set out in the Queer Gaze - why did they have to dig so far to find some?
• Material Queer: This week's queer senses are from journalist and broadcaster Damien Kerlin, bringing dark rooms and queer goth energy.

Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.

Asexual people face alarming rates of intolerance and ignorance in the UK, new research

TL;DR: A new study has found high levels of intolerance and ignorance towards the asexual community among young people, and conclude that the community is facing prejudice at greater levels than most other groups in society.