Acing Science: Compulsory Sexuality and Asexual Possibilities

Reveals the limits and exclusions of defining desire as universal

Compulsory sexuality--where sexual desire is seen as fundamental to human experience--not only pervades popular culture but is foundational to scientific research. Through a sharp intersectional lens, Kristina Gupta’s Acing Science interrogates a wide range of scientific studies, from clinical diagnoses of ＂sexual disinterest＂ and neuroimaging of desire to models of asexual reproduction, revealing how dominant science has pathologized the absence of sexual desire while tying sexual activity to health, social relationships, and citizenship. By exposing the assumptions undergirding these studies, Gupta shows how sexual desire has been framed as universal and socially necessary, while asexuality is often rendered invisible or suspect.

At the core of the book is a compelling critique: that scientific discourses of sexuality are not based on objective biological facts but are sustained by broader systems of power--sexism, racism, ableism, and settler colonialism. Yet Acing Science is not merely a critique but a radical invitation. By rereading hegemonic science, Gupta opens space for reimagining how desires, pleasures, and relationships might be understood beyond narrow sexual frames. The result is a powerful intervention, essential reading for scholars in feminist science studies, sexuality studies, and anyone interested in how knowledge systems shape the intimate contours of everyday life.

Kristina Gupta is associate professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Wake Forest University. She is author of Medical Entanglements: Rethinking Feminist Debates about Healthcare and coeditor of Queer Feminist Science Studies: A Reader.