A bill in Delaware seeks to extend the state's anti-discrimination code to include pansexuality and asexuality.
Delaware's HB275 would extend non-discrimination protections in the First State to include pansexual and asexual people, a historic first for both communities.
On December 14, 2023, Delaware state Rep. Eric Morrison (D) along with Sen. Sarah McBride (D) and Sen. Marie Pinkney (D) introduced bill HB 275—a bill that would add pansexuality and asexuality to Delaware's anti-discrimination code to prevent discrimination predominantly to avoid discrimination in housing, employment, and insurance.
HB 275 states in its text that if passed it would be a penalty to unfairly base insurance policies and premiums based on a host of factors including sexual orientation. It would also update the sexual orientation portion of the state anti-discrimination code to include pansexuality and asexuality.
Line 22 of the bill states this with regards to anti-discrimination.
It is an unlawful practice for any insurance company licensed to do business in this State to discriminate in any way because of the insured’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, or to make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public, or cause, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, or placed before the public, in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, or poster, or over any radio or television station, or in any other way, to include the writing of any policy or the application therefor, an advertisement, announcement, or statement containing any assertion, representation, or statement with respect to the business of insurance or with respect to any person in the conduct of the insurance business, which discriminates in any way because of the insured’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin or to classify or refer to any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
The Delaware Code currently defines sexual orientation as either heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality.
If the bill passes, it will amend this language to include asexuality and pansexuality under the Delaware Code’s definition of sexual orientation, encompassing more identities and making the term “sexual orientation” more inclusive, something that Rep. Morrison states is quite important now.
According to an interview done with the Delaware News Journal, Morrison said that after coming to know pansexual and asexual individuals who say they often feel excluded in conversations about LGBTQ+ rights and issues, he created and introduced HB275 with his desire to ensure folks who identify as pansexual or asexual cannot be discriminated against in situations such as housing or employment applications due to their sexual orientation.
Speaking an asexual person myself, this bill is such a great measure that highlights a plight asexual people go through but hardly gets covered by media and news outlets.
People love to say that asexual people don't face discrimination (and thus don't belong in the LGBTQ+ community). However, when it comes to discrimination, asexual people face intense levels of discrimination. The only difference is that discrimination against asexual people just don’t receive any media recognition.
A 2012 study of bias among college students, for example, found that asexuals were “viewed as less human, and less valued as contact partners..."
The National LGBT Survey 2018 found that 7% of LGBT+ people have been offered or undergone conversion therapy. Asexual people were also at a higher risk of being offered or undergoing conversion therapy (10%).
In the 2015 asexual community census, a volunteer-run project, 43.5% of nearly 8,000 aces surveyed reported having experienced some form of sexual violence (including rape, assault, and coercion).
I went through this exact experience when I was 17. I had someone when she found out I was a virgin (and still am) try to pressure me into having sex with her, touching me inappropriately. She when I told her to stop said that she was "trying to help me".
With regards to asexual people, there has been some research that indicates heterosexual persons are intentionally biased against asexual persons and would likely avoid them and discriminate against them in housing and jobs, sometimes even preferring other sexual minorities over asexual people (MacInnis & Hodson, 2012)
Protections against asexual people are hardly ever considered as something necessary, despite the overwhelming evidence that says asexual people do face discrimination. Delaware taking the mantle as the first to extend protections towards pansexual and asexual people is something that hopefully gains steam in 2024.
—Songbird 💜♠️🏹🂡