114 | Angela Chen on Asexuality in a Sex-Preoccupied World

<p>Sexuality is, and always has been, a topic that is endlessly fascinating but also contentious. You might think that&nbsp;<em>asexuality</em>&nbsp;would be more straightforward, but you’d be wrong. Asexual people, or “aces,” haven’t been front and center in the public discussion of gender and sexuality, and as a result there is confusion about such basic issues as what “asexuality” even means. Angela Chen is a science journalist and an ace herself, and she’s written a new book about asexuality and how it fits into the wider discussion of sex and gender. Precisely because sexuality is so taken for granted by many people, thinking about asexuality not only helps us understand the issues confronting aces, but the meaning of sexuality more broadly.</p><p><em>Support Mindscape on&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>Angela Chen received a B.A. in comparative literature from UC San Diego. She is a contributing editor at&nbsp;<em>Catapult</em>&nbsp;magazine, and her writings have appeared in&nbsp;<em>The Wall Street Journal, Vox Media, The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review</em>, and elsewhere. Her new book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/625230/ace-by-angela-chen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex</em></a>.</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.angelachen.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Web site</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Chen/e/B088H9X9Z1/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon.com author page</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/messages/21611239-299449780" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s