You are being asked to participate in a research project conducted by LaChelle Schilling, a doctoral student in the School of Religion (Program: Women's Studies in Religion), Claremont Graduate University.



PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to discover how people who identify as asexual, (even if that identity is questioned or considered fluid), articulate their identities and navigate intimacy and desire in relationship and society.



PARTICIPATION: You will be asked to respond to questions in short/long answer form. We expect your participation to not take more than an hour of your time. Please consider providing detailed responses, even if that means you will fully answer only one or two questions you find most compelling or relevant. At the end of the survey, you will be given the opportunity to let me know if you would like to be contacted for follow-up email correspondence to clarify responses. You do not have to agree to this in order for your survey answers to count.



RISKS & BENEFITS: We realize this study is of a personal nature and sensitive. But I hope this project will benefit you by providing an environment in which to share your stories and thoughts. Literature on asexuality is lacking and/or misdirected most of the time. You have an opportunity to contribute to a project that will be written for asexuals and not just about us. If participating in the follow-up email interviews, you will have an opportunity to clarify or expand on your ideas and ask questions. It is recommended that you create a free email address that is non-identifying to use only for this project and delete it at the conclusion of our correspondence. Please be aware that anonymity and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed: due to the nature of the questions and the open-ended format, it may be possible to identify individuals based on their responses. When creating, sending, and storing information on the internet and computers, there is always a security risk. Create strong passwords, make sure to log out of your email and computer, and delete files when appropriate in order to decrease security risk.



COMPENSATION: You will not receive any compensation beyond the potential emotional and/or intellectual benefits participation in the study offers.



VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION: Please understand that participation is completely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw from the research at any time without penalty. You also have the right to refuse to answer any question(s) for any reason, without penalty.



CONFIDENTIALITY: Your individual privacy is important. Although I cannot make guarantees for your confidentiality for the reasons stated above, I do not collect identifying information such as your name, personal email address, or IP address. All data is stored in a password protected electronic format. All electronic information will be deleted at the conclusion of the project, including the email address I will use to correspond with you, including all contacts. At the conclusion of the project, any hard copies containing your information will be shredded. No public computers will be used on my end.



If you have any questions or would like additional information about this research, please contact me at lache2380@gmail.com or my project email asexualitystudycgu@gmail.com. I will respond to all queries promptly. You can also contact my dissertation chair Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether at rruether@psr.edu. The CGU Institutional Review Board, which is administered through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), has approved this project. You may also contact ORSP at (909) 607-­9406 with any questions.