Top Asexual Stories of 2009 include Michael Jackson, Robert Pattinson and the DSM-V committees

A columnist may not be able to come up with the top ten columns of a given year, especially if his columns frequently cover commentary on closely related topics. 2009 was not a year devoid of news for Asexuals, although many of us would not have wished to have our name associated with Michael Jackson. (Yes, I understand that he was the first African-American musician to have a video on MTV, but Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong made greater contributions to the world of music.)

Putting a current celebrity's name in a headline is an almost surefire way to get thousands of page views, and such was the case with the unfortunate articles on Michael Jackson's death. The gentleman may have been a celebrity, but few of us would envy the last decade of his life.

On the other scale, is Robert Pattinson. TMZ attempted to claim that the actor was Asexual without any real proof of the orientation. Proving a person's lack of a sexual orientation often turns out to be difficult. AVEN posters frequently speculate that Keanu Reeves might be Ace, whether or not they have proof. (Oddly enough, the people responsible for this are usually female.)e m


The most marginal and certainly the most offensive celebrity to make the list, however, would have to be Dan Savage. Fairness requires the Philadelphia Ace Examiner to say that what Mister Savage said was reasonable advice. People in a relationship should disclose a lack of desire for sex as well as an unusual desire to engage in intercourse if they intend to pursue a relationship. The comments left by his readers left much to be desired, but have become standard fare for people who don't grasp the concept of not needing sex.

Perhaps the biggest and ongoing story of 2009 that is of interest to Asexuals does not involve a celebrity at all, but rather the book that is used as the Bible of the psychiatric profession. The current definitions of mental illness might be expanded and this has far reaching impact that goes well beyond mental health professionals recognizing Asexuality as a valid orientation. The controversy resulted in the publication date of the DSM-V being pushed back to 2013.

There are a few items that I enjoyed that were not as big news, such as Video Game Review Guru Yahtzee revealing that he is Ace, and discovering Swank Ivy''s vide
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