Desexualized & Asexual are 2 different things
Recently read a take that Isaac in Heartstopper is bad fat rep because "the only fat character was made asexual which is a negative stereotype" & I am BEGGING folks to understand that desexualized & asexual are 2 different things. Plus fat Aces exist & fatness is often used to invalidate asexuality.
We thought that Isaac was just OK for ace rep. We talked about our feelings at length on episode 32 & episode 98 of our podcast. All in all, we just didn't think that his character was anything new or groundbreaking, but with how often aces in real life hear "you're not asexual, you're just fat", it's such a shame that folks out there don't understand that fat aces have their own unique challenges and also deserve rep.
It feels like shockingly similar to when people get mad at Disabled Aces because "disabled people don't have sex" is a negative stereotype. Yes, disabled people are often DESEXUALIZED against their will, which is harmful, but that doesn't mean that some of them aren't ASEXUAL.
Aces come in every flavor, because we're real people. And real people deserve to see aspects of their experience reflected in media without someone else implying that their very existence is inherently harmful.