My research on gender detachment and compulsory gender just won another award from the American Sociological Association! It’s the third ASA award this line of work has received. I’m honored and excited to see research on asexuality get such an enthusiastic reception.

Dr. Canton Winer@cantonwiner.bsky.social · last yr.

My article on gender detachment is published in @sociusjournal.bsky.social! We often assume that everyone has a gender. But some people feel detached from gender. Based on 30 interviews with asexual individuals, I argue that gender categorization is compulsory--but it doesn't need to be.

NEW from me in @pnas.org on the risks of data sharing with qualitative research: "Today, confidentiality risks are amplified by social media, surveillance, and AI tools, which make ample data about people publicly available, thus making deidentification less effective" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Slate recently covered my research on “gender detachment,” or the idea that some people feel disconnected from identifying with any gender identity! I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on what this attention signifies—not just for my work but for how we collectively understand gender.

When Gender Feels Irrelevant: Reflections on the Slate Feature

Maybe you saw the recent headline in Slate: “My Gender Is No Thank You.”

cantonwiner.substack.com

“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”

Our talk series will begin in only three weeks, and we‘re excited to share the amazing people we have lines up with you! The talks will be online, weekly on Fridays at 3 pm UK time! 🧡💛🤍🩵💙 There is no registration required, you can find the link to join at aroaceresearch.com/events

Every bullet fired, every bomb dropped puts more $$ in someone’s pocket. Worth remembering as the Trump admin seems to be gearing up for an attack on Iran. War has a profit incentive for a small group of very wealthy people.

Nicki Minaj has a track record of defending sexual abusers and pedophiles, so her support of Trump is on brand.

In a world where emerging sexualities are dismissed as “made up,” “online-only,” or “Western inventions,” seeing ace identities emerge across continents is a reminder of what so many asexual people already know: Asexuality is everywhere. Read more about the ace findings here:

New Research Shows Asexuality’s Global Footprint

Asexuality is everywhere

cantonwiner.substack.com

The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.” That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.

So all colleges and universities will bring back the DEI stuff they cut when obeying in advance right...............................................................................................................................................right?

W. Carson Byrd@wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Re the February Dear Colleagues letter that threatened funding for schools & universities over DEI-related efforts: ‘[Ed Dept]…moved to dismiss its appeal. It leaves in place a federal judge’s August decision finding that the anti-DEI effort violated the First Amendment & federal procedural rules.’

Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)

Unusual Whales@unusualwhales.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Jensen Huang of Nvidia, $NVDA, has said relentless negativity around AI is hurting society and has done a lot of damage, per Techspot.

Men will literally torpedo the stock market and threaten to annex Greenland instead of going to therapy.

“Abolish ICE” isn’t radical, it doesn’t go far enough. Latest in @theguardian.com written with my friend @victorerikray.bsky.social. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Abolishing ICE isn’t enough – it’s time to center people’s humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray

It’s far from radical to reject a system predicated on violence – despite what thinktanks might claim

theguardian.com

JK Rowling is an anti-queer gender fascist. So when you make Harry Potter references without even a nod to her oppressive views, you look sus.

Exciting to see my research with @francescorampazzo.com get so much attention! I also appreciate how this piece pushes against the misleading reporting from the Daily Mail that claimed our study shows that lesbians are “dying out.” As PinkNews points out, that’s a transphobic dog whistle.

PinkNews@pinknews.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Gen Z women are more likely to identify as bisexual – but no, the lesbian label is not ‘dying out’ https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/12/19/gen-z-women-bisexual-lesbian-zoe-dating/?utm_content=1766150402&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

New coverage of our global study on sexual identity and generational change, now on @pinknews.bsky.social. @cantonwiner.bsky.social

PinkNews@pinknews.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Gen Z women are more likely to identify as bisexual – but no, the lesbian label is not ‘dying out’ https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/12/19/gen-z-women-bisexual-lesbian-zoe-dating/?utm_content=1766150402&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

Our research with @cantonwiner.bsky.social and Milan Kovačič has also been reported by @advocate.com, providing another perspective on the findings. Work based in the @socialstats.bsky.social Department of Social Statistics at the University of Manchester @manchester.ac.uk.

The Advocate@advocate.com · 8mo ago

Around 45 percent of Gen Z women ages 20 to 29 use the bisexual label, compared to 42.2 percent who use lesbian.

"The term 'lesbian' is dying out" Well, I'm not sure if I, as an demiromantic asexual lesbian, would have even come to the conclusion to be a lesbian, rather than "just broken", if it weren't for the a-spec labels! 🏳️‍🌈

Dr. Canton Winer@cantonwiner.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The @dailymail.co.uk just reported on my research. But their framing is wrong. Lesbian identities aren’t “dying out.” So-called “new” identities (like pansexual, queer, asexual, etc.) aren’t “replacing” older ones. They’re adding to the ways people can plug into queerness.

The @dailymail.co.uk just reported on my research. But their framing is wrong. Lesbian identities aren’t “dying out.” So-called “new” identities (like pansexual, queer, asexual, etc.) aren’t “replacing” older ones. They’re adding to the ways people can plug into queerness.

Asexuality is a global identity. That’s a major finding in a study I recently published with @francescorampazzo.com in Demographic Research. Analyzing dating app data spanning 162 countries from over 900,000 users, we found that asexuality showed up in every age group and in every region.

Demographic Research@demresjournal.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A global study of 913k Zoe users shows lesbian (48%) and bisexual (40%) identities dominate worldwide, while younger generations show rising diversity, with 6.6% pansexual, 3.4% queer, and 0.7% asexual. Sexuality is evolving globally. www.demographic-research.org/articles/vol...

An early Christmas gift from @demresjournal.bsky.social: new publication with @cantonwiner.bsky.social and Milan Kovačič on sexuality using dating app data. A great example of how social scientists and industry can collaborate to produce global, inclusive research.

Demographic Research@demresjournal.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A global study of 913k Zoe users shows lesbian (48%) and bisexual (40%) identities dominate worldwide, while younger generations show rising diversity, with 6.6% pansexual, 3.4% queer, and 0.7% asexual. Sexuality is evolving globally. www.demographic-research.org/articles/vol...

mr president sir theres a story coming about how you intervened to help a sex criminal. no sir, not that sex criminal you helped….no not that one either…sir, please stop guessing sex criminals that you helped. ill give you a hint sir, hes a trafficker. no sir, not that trafficker a different one

Chris Morran@themorrancave.bsky.social · 9mo ago

NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House. By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro

“[B]ecause sex positivity is about expanding our freedom to participate in sex—but it is also about enabling us to decline intimacy that we don’t want. Consent is core to sex positivity.” Wait also this wristband system sounds so genuinely helpful.

Dr. Canton Winer@cantonwiner.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I’ve written before about how slut politics and asexuality also share more resonance than is apparent at first glance. You can read about that here: open.substack.com/pub/cantonwi... But I’m eager to think more about aromanticism and the queer resources it offers us.

I knew I was poly before I knew I was aro (before aro as a term even existed). Relationship anarchy best describes my flavor of polyam. I used to think I was odd for considering myself poly, aro, AND acespec, but I’ve learned lots of people are; they’re fully compatible! Challenge amatonormativity!

Dr. Canton Winer@cantonwiner.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Aromanticism and relationship anarchy share so much resonance with each other.

Aromanticism and relationship anarchy share so much resonance with each other.

We can’t take you seriously if you think “wokeness” is a bigger threat than authoritarianism. [cough cough Bari Weiss]

In today's @latimes.com, @georgianndavis.bsky.social writes about teaching statistics as an intersex scholar, and having to choose between lying to her students about the biological realities of sex and gender or teaching what the administration insists is true. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Contributor: I'm an intersex professor. Am I supposed to lie by teaching 'only male and female'?

A campaign against teachers who acknowledge realities of human biology forces a choice: Teach truth and risk your job, or lie and maybe keep it.

latimes.com

My special issue of The Sociological Quarterly on queer nightlife is out! A real passion project, attempting to articulate what unique contributions sociologists can make to a vibrant interdisciplinary conversation. It’s all open access for 6 months. www.tandfonline.com/toc/utsq20/6... #sociology

The Sociological Quarterly

Queer Nightlife. Volume 66, Issue 4 of The Sociological Quarterly

tandfonline.com

What if gender isn’t something everyone has, but something we’re compelled to have? My new Substack explores compulsory gender and how some people "detach" from gender. Dive in: cantonwiner.substack.com/p/compulsory-gender-detachment

Compulsory Gender

Do We All Need a Gender? Challenging Compulsory Gender

cantonwiner.substack.com