Hami Ayaunik: Asexuality on Instagram in Nepal

This chapter follows discussions on asexuality by Nepali youth on Instagram. Based on a visual and textual analysis of posts and stories on the Instagram page of Aspec Nepali (@)nepali.asexuals.aromantics) it charts the repositioning and questioning of sexual identities by a young generation of urban Nepalis via digital access. The use of Instagram to initiate discussions and campaign for visibility in Nepal’s LGBTQIA+ movement by the group draws attention to a marginal identity and its social and cultural implications in a national and, regional, South Asian context. The interactions, networks, and visual stories generated by the group offer a range of insights into the creation of online socio-cultural domains that emphasise fluid gender and sexual identities. In the curation of their daily and group activities, administrators of the Instagram page engage in selective representation. Their strategies of distinction are aimed at marking a place in Nepal’s social, cultural, and political structures.