Julie Sondra Decker

Julie Sondra Decker (also known by her YouTube username "swankivy"[1]) is an American author, YouTube personality, blogger and activist, who is known for blogging about issues regarding asexuality, and for her 2014 non-fiction book The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality which was nominated at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards for LGBT Non-Fiction. She has also published a variety of articles on the subject in magazines such as Good Vibrations and The Toast, and has been interviewed in various mainstream media.

Biography

Decker was born in New Jersey, United States on January 17, 1978.[2] She mentions on her website that she started reading from an early age and has wanted to become an author since she was six years old. She attended and later graduated from the University of Florida in 2000.[3] She grew up in a family where her sisters were supportive of her and in which "alternative lifestyles" were considered acceptable.[4] Decker experimented with her sexuality in high school and found that she was generally uninterested in dating.[4] Decker realized she was both asexual and aromantic when she was 14.[5] When Decker was 19, she was sexually assaulted by a male friend who felt he could "fix" her asexuality.[6] She eventually repelled him, and as she was leaving, he yelled out, "I just want to help you!"[5] Before the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded, Decker had described herself as nonsexual, but today uses the term asexual.[7]

Decker lives and works in her hometown of Tampa, Florida.[8] She is an aromantic asexual, a feminist, a vegetarian and animal rights advocate. Aside from writing and asexuality activism, she enjoys a range of hobbies including reading, drawing, karaoke, baking, bike-riding, anime and manga, journaling, watching Steven Universe and collecting the merchandise and blogging.[9] Decker feels that it is important to speak for "asexuals who are insecure or depressed."[4] She is an active participant and advocate for the asexual community.[5] Her first time posting about asexuality online was in 1998.[10]

YouTube

Decker joined YouTube on September 26, 2006. Her earliest video uploaded is "SwankiVY sings "Popular" from Wicked" which was uploaded on 15 March 2008. Although she vlogs about many subjects, she is well known for her series "Letters To An Asexual" where she replies (usually in a sarcastic manner) to derogatory comments directed towards her or the asexual community. She is also known to cover songs from musicals on her channel such as Wicked but has also covered songs from Bat For Lashes, Tears For Fears and Smile.dk.[11] She also has an additional account simply titled "JulieSondra" where she shares writing tips for struggling writers.[12]

The Invisible Orientation

In 2014, Decker released The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality. Library Journal wrote that the Invisible Orientation is "the first substantial book for the nonprofessional to emerge from the small but growing community of individuals who identify themselves as 'asexual,'" and called the book an important resource for understanding asexuality.[13] Maclean's describes the book as using "plain, straightforward language" and helps readers understand various manifestations of asexuality.[4] The book contains a variety of resources and information regarding asexuality and the misunderstanding that the asexual community faces in modern society.[14] Decker includes a section for those who are trying to figure out if they are actually asexual or not.[14] The book was later nominated for best LGBT Non-Fiction book award at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards.[15] In 2015, Invisible Orientation won a silver IPPY award in the category of sexuality and relationships.[16] Decker says that she wants the book to help change the "common narrative about what sexuality is."[17]

gollark: Great?
gollark: I'm also interested, although your stated returns seem implausible.
gollark: Everyone on this server except you is a bot, yes.
gollark: I don't really have much directly relevant stuff to say since I still (in school) mostly just procrastinate horribly and do stuff not quite as late as possible.
gollark: You could try asking other people you know there for advice, or possibly people you know who have been in similar situations.

References
  1. Nichols, James (22 October 2013). "'Asexuality: An Overview' By Julie Decker Explains A Frequently Misunderstood Identity". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. http://juliesondradecker.com/?page_id=249
  3. "Bios". Julie Sondra Decker. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  4. McKinnell, Julia (22 December 2014). "No Sex Please - It's Boring". Maclean's. 127 (50): 75. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via EBSCO.
  5. Weller, Chris (21 September 2015). "What It's Like to Be Completely Asexual". Tech Insider. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. Mosbergen, Dominique (20 June 2013). "Battling Asexual Discrimination, Sexual Violence And 'Corrective' Rape". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  7. Clark-Flory, Tracy (16 September 2014). "You're About as Sexually Attractive to Me as a Turtle: Coming Out as Asexual in a Hypersexual Culture". Salon. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  8. Miller, Anna Medaris (4 May 2015). "Asexuality: the Invisible Orientation?". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  9. "Bios". Julie Sondra Decker. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  10. "We Are Interlopers". South Florida Gay News. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  11. "swankivy". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  12. "JulieSondra". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  13. Hughes, Mary Ann (October 2014). "The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality". Library Journal. 139 (16): 101. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via EBSCO.
  14. Altman, Anna (24 September 2014). "Why Asexuals Don't Want to Be Invisible Anymore". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  15. "The 27th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists". Lambda Literary. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  16. "2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results". Independent Publisher. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  17. McCarthy, Ellen (24 November 2014). "Asexuals Seek to Raise Awareness of the 'Invisible Orientation'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
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