This is such a weirdly one-dimensional comment that I'm not even sure how you got it. Desexualization isn't a side effect of all kinds of oppression. Look at the objections to repealing DADT that went "oh noes, gay male soldiers might look at others in the shower." Or the historical legacy of white Americans using men of color, especially black men, as sexual-predator bogeymen. Or the stereotype of trans women "tricking" men into sex.
With cis women (trans men and genderqueer people tend to just get ignored), it's all complicated by the madonna/whore complex, in which sexualization and desexualization are two sides of the same oppressive coin. "Good girls" don't have sex at all; "bad girls" want it all the time. The former results in things like the stereotype of lesbians not having sex, and the denial of accurate sex education to teenage girls. The latter feeds into things like rape culture ("not dressing modestly enough = bad girl = wants it"), and sexualized stereotypes of women of color.
In f/f scenarios in popular media, the "whore" aspect plays itself out in stereotypical bad lesbian porn. But there's plenty of material from the "madonna" side too, with romantic, nonsexual f/f relationships that serve to highlight the goodness and purity of the women involved. The best example that comes to mind is Maria-sama ga Miteru, in which almost every major character is involved in that kind of romance. Of these relationships, only one features anything overtly sexual - and all we see is an out-of-frame kiss - and even that is apparently so bad that one of the girls has to redeem herself by becoming a nun.
Going back to your original post, I don't think asexual femslash is inherently barrier-breaking or patriarchy-challenging. It certainly can be, but it's not likely unless the writer knows about these stereotypes and puts some thought into avoiding them.
no subject
This is such a weirdly one-dimensional comment that I'm not even sure how you got it. Desexualization isn't a side effect of all kinds of oppression. Look at the objections to repealing DADT that went "oh noes, gay male soldiers might look at others in the shower." Or the historical legacy of white Americans using men of color, especially black men, as sexual-predator bogeymen. Or the stereotype of trans women "tricking" men into sex.
With cis women (trans men and genderqueer people tend to just get ignored), it's all complicated by the madonna/whore complex, in which sexualization and desexualization are two sides of the same oppressive coin. "Good girls" don't have sex at all; "bad girls" want it all the time. The former results in things like the stereotype of lesbians not having sex, and the denial of accurate sex education to teenage girls. The latter feeds into things like rape culture ("not dressing modestly enough = bad girl = wants it"), and sexualized stereotypes of women of color.
In f/f scenarios in popular media, the "whore" aspect plays itself out in stereotypical bad lesbian porn. But there's plenty of material from the "madonna" side too, with romantic, nonsexual f/f relationships that serve to highlight the goodness and purity of the women involved. The best example that comes to mind is Maria-sama ga Miteru, in which almost every major character is involved in that kind of romance. Of these relationships, only one features anything overtly sexual - and all we see is an out-of-frame kiss - and even that is apparently so bad that one of the girls has to redeem herself by becoming a nun.
Going back to your original post, I don't think asexual femslash is inherently barrier-breaking or patriarchy-challenging. It certainly can be, but it's not likely unless the writer knows about these stereotypes and puts some thought into avoiding them.