Abstract

Existing aromantic and asexual literature examines the difficulties and obstacles encountered by aro/ace (“aromantic” and “asexual” respectively) students on college campuses, particularly aphobia (discrimination against both aromanticism and asexuality) from the student body. Similarly, western media often portrays college as a site of romantic and sexual experimentation, orienting the discussion of significant relationships to focus on amorous or sexual couplings. This research confronts these social expectations to examine the lived experience of a group of aro/ace identified UNC Asheville, a small liberal arts residential college, students using interview responses. This research examines the extent that romance reinforces itself within the university structure, and whether university social life (especially queer university social life) is accepting of the wide spectrum of aromanticism and asexuality. Amatonormativity—the prioritization and societal expectation of amorous relationships—and the general misunderstanding and non-acceptance of alternative relationships even within queer communities is a pressing issue, but a difficult one to confront due to the centrality of romance and sex as methods of liberation as well as marginalization. Amatonormativity and compulsory sexuality, the social expectation of sexual desire and eventual experiences, are newer sites of sociology theory and fieldwork. This research expands on the existing but limited scholarship about aro/ace experiences by examining how the aro/ace community exists within the romanticized and sexualized space of a small, residential college. The research concludes that while UNCA is considered a safe and friendly LGBTQ+ and aro/ace space, there are many underlying issues of aphobia within the queer community that prevent that community from engaging with diverse, non-normative queer relationship styles that could benefit both queer and non-queer communities. 

Keywords

Aromantic, Asexual, Queer, Queer Theory, Feminist Theory, Amatonormativity, Allonormativity, heteronormativity

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