History Main / ParalyzingFearOfSexuality

* Raj in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' goes completely silent the moment an attractive girl is around or is talking directly to him. He is painfully shy around attractive women. He literally [[CannotTalkToWomen can't talk to women]]. He still manages to have sex with one early in season one, though, even before he realizes that he can talk to women if he's drunk.

When a character struggling with this overcomes it, the problem might be [[HappilyEverAfter resolved by entering a simple stable relationship]]. However, [[DestructiveRomance this could turn sour]] if the character hasn't really dealt with the underlying issues, or it could result in a counter-reaction, where the character turns overtly sexual. This can be [[EthicalSlut a good thing]] or [[SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny a bad thing]], depending on how the character handles it. In a balanced story, both paths are possible. There also might also be some zig-zagging as the character learns to cope with their sexuality. However, in an {{Anvilicious}} work, only one of the two paths is possible, since the author has [[BlackAndWhiteMorality already decided]] either that SexIsGood or that SexIsEvil.

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': Dexter Morgan deliberately dates a woman with this issue because it suits him down to the ground -- he wants [[TheBeard a relationship for passing as normal]] and grows to enjoy the emotional connection. While Dexter does have a sex drive, he's afraid of himself (he's a serial killer and sometimes gets aroused by thoughts of murder and such) and he's also afraid that his girlfriend will see through his facade if they get intimate. He's also faintly repulsed by intimacy (in the novel, deeply repulsed, and also pretty much despises Rita, but they made the TV character much more relatable), and every previous sexual encounter has resulted in his ability to fake normality being totally blown out of the water since he's emotionally abnormal and spends most of his life going through the motions. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This does not work very well for sex]]. She eventually starts to get over her trauma and get her sex drive back, and with some work, they eventually manage to build a functioning sex life together because he does get inadvertently attached to her...and then his emotional life gets a shake-up courtesy of the Season One antagonist and his mind games. In the books it's implied the only reason he and Rita can have a sex life is that she's so damaged from her abusive ex-husband, she can't tell that he's not "doing it right".

* Series/{{Dexter}} deliberately dates a woman with this issue because it suits him down to the ground -- he wants a relationship for passing as normal and grows to enjoy the emotional connection. While Dexter does have a sex drive, he's afraid of himself (he's a serial killer and sometimes gets aroused by thoughts of murder and such) and he's also afraid that his girlfriend will see through his facade if they get intimate. He's also faintly repulsed by intimacy (in the novel, deeply repulsed, and also pretty much despises Rita, but they made the TV character much more relatable), and every previous sexual encounter has resulted in his ability to fake normality being totally blown out of the water since he's emotionally abnormal and spends most of his life going through the motions. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This does not work very well for sex]]. She eventually starts to get over her trauma and get her sex drive back, and with some work, they eventually manage to build a functioning sex life together because he does get inadvertently attached to her...and then his emotional life gets a shake-up courtesy of the Season One antagonist and his mind games. In the books it's implied the only reason he and Rita can have a sex life is that she's so damaged from her abusive ex-husband, she can't tell that he's not "doing it right".

* Downplayed in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13331021/1/ Feelings and Desires]]''. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] has finally moved on from his ChasteHero and ObliviousToLove stages, and is in [[ChildhoodFriendRomance a happy relationship with Misty]]. However, during their first anniversary together, he wants to take their relationship to a more intimate level but is afraid to take the step out of fear of Misty taking it the wrong way (the fact that Misty had a bad breakup two years prior might also be a factor). Misty catches on and intentionally gets him in embarrassing situations, [[TheTease partially to fluster him]], and partially to get him to man up and do it. They finally talk things out and Misty helps Ash realize there's nothing to be ashamed of, so long as they do it out of love, culminating in them having TheirFirstTime.

Note that while this trope and SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny are sometimes ''caused'' by the same social and psychological mechanisms, they have two very different ways of handling it: Sex Is Evil And I Am Horny is about ''acting out'' in a way that is self-destructive and/or abusive while Paralyzing Fear Of Sexuality is about avoiding expressing one's sexuality at all. See also CelibateHero and WindmillPolitical. Compare HeteronormativeCrusader. Contrast DoesNotLikeMen and HeManWomanHater.

* While not touched upon in the anime, Firo of ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'' was [[spoiler: once kidnapped by a pervert [[DudeLooksLikeALady who mistook him for a young girl]] and nearly [[AttemptedRape sexually assaulted]] him]]. The experience has left him with a very bad attitude towards men who make unsolicited advances on women and has made him scared of displaying any sort of sexual intimacy (even something as innocent as ''hand-holding'') for fear that it might be unwanted and troubling to the other party. It does, perhaps, help explain why he [[spoiler:engaged in innocent cohabitation with the same woman for ''fifty years'' before she [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove figured out human emotions enough to fall in love with him]], then stayed in a SexlessMarriage for another twenty and counting]].

* While Sousuke of ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' is ObliviousToLove, he's not entirely oblivious to ''sex'' once you strip the euphemisms away and penetrate his SelectiveObliviousness. He is, however, absolutely terrified of it and sometimes suffers outright panic attacks (in stark contrast to his usual {{stoic}}ism) when placed in sexual situations he can't tune out or willfully misinterpret. The light novels imply this is because all of his prior sexual experience consists of [[DudeShesLikeInAComa almost]] [[StalkerWithACrush getting]] [[AttemptedRape assaulted]] several times, so he has nothing but bad associations with it.

* Surprisingly, [[LovableSexManiac Issei Hyodo]] in the first 10 volumes of ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD''. Even though he likes going so far as to poke Rias' breasts, he is extremely hesitant when she asks him to actually take her virginity to stop her ArrangedMarriage in Volume 2 and even more so when she wants to have her first time with him for real in Volume 10. While he was eager to get busy with his first "girlfriend" Yuma Amano, her turning out to be a fallen angel and killing him ended up [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest traumatizing him]] to the point that he is intimidated by any woman wanting to have a serious relationship since. The rest of his harem helps him get over that trauma and he is able to confess to Rias at the end of Volume 10.
* ''Literature/ImTheEvilLordOfAnIntergalacticEmpire'': Due to his wife cheating on him and destroying his past life, Liam is unwilling to consider sex with anyone but his RobotMaid Amagi. The fact that there is an undetectable STD out there that makes men's penises explode doesn’t help his eagerness.
* Played both for comedy and drama with Sanjouno Haruhime in ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon''. She was disowned by her family and ended up being sold as a prostitute, but her timid and gentle nature gets her ''extremely'' nervous every time she gets a customer. [[spoiler:So nervous in fact that she always faints in shock before the guy even touches her, and she's not aware that she's still a virgin.]]

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': The character of Akira shows clear moments of sexual attraction to the women around him, but pretty much banishes all thought of acting on them, seeming at other times asexual or oblivious. He gives excuses like that he's "of the age where I'm [[BetterThanSex more interested in food than girls]]". That particular claim is debunked by Carol after she spends some time living with him. While it's not explicitly answered, given how Akira reacts early in the story to both Sheryl's smile and watching her HoneyTrap hunters with a great amount of fear (despite her being obviously physically weak), the best hint is that his disinterest is motivated by trauma. It's been established that Akira's life before the story was characterized by being used and betrayed by everyone he ever met. This is explained as [[spoiler:a side effect of him being an Old World connector being unconsciously broadcasting his impressions into people, which made this happen and caused the deaths of most {{Differently Powered Individual}}s in the slums]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', Rorschach has this as a part of his pathology.

* Han Solo for a while in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' fic ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/2717781/1/My-All My All]]''. Entirely justified, as in the fic that preceded it, ''Important Information'', he was repeatedly raped during a horrific torture ordeal. Even after he finally lays his internal struggles with his ordeal and his captor--who somehow seemed to find a way to entice his body when Leia killed her and ended up wreaking havoc on his mind--to rest, it's still some time before he can finally stop seeing his tormentor, release the shame and pain he's held inside, and finally be able to make love to Leia again.
* Taken to utterly ridiculous levels in ''FanFic/HarryPotterBecomesACommunist'' when Snape, who is portrayed as TheFundamentalist, tries to capture Cho Chang. She successfully defeats him by throwing her naked boobs at him, which causes him to freak out and declare, "The female body is so fucking sinful! You keep those horrible things away from me or I'll go to hell!"
* Downplayed in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13331021/1/ Feelings and Desires]]''. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] has finally moved on from his ChasteHero and ObliviousToLove stages, and is in [[ChildhoodFriendRomance a happy relationship with Misty]]. However, during their first anniversary together, he wants to take their relationship to a more intimate level but is afraid to take the step out of fear of Misty taking it the wrong way (the fact that Misty had a bad breakup two years prior might also be a factor). Misty catches on and intentionally gets him in embarrassing situations, [[TheTease partially to fluster him]], and partially to get him to man up and do it. They finally talk things out and Misty helps Ash realize there's nothing to be ashamed of, so long as they do it out of love, culminating in them having TheirFirstTime.
* In the ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/20639852 Baby Steps to the Finish Line]]'' Teru wants to take things to a more intimate level in their relationship but Mob is afraid to do more than kiss. It's very slow going but they work through it together.

* The premise of ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin''. See page quote. It avoids many of the pitfalls of dealing with this trope by introducing a large and relatively well-developed supporting cast, all with their own hangups surrounding sex and/or relationships to work through.
* Laurie in ''Film/Halloween1978''. It's pretty much all but outright stated that she is the only virgin among her friends. While she shows a clear interest in the opposite sex she is either too shy, awkward, or scared to act upon her desires. WordOfGod states she was written like this to make her comparable to the main villain, Michael, and that when she stabs him several times at the end of the movie, this is her taking out her pent-up sexual frustrations.
* The title character in ''Film/{{Marnie}}''.
* Sally in ''Film/{{Intermission}}''.

* PlayedWith in ''Film/ItChapterTwo''. Richie makes so many lewd jokes about women that he's literally made a career out of it, but [[spoiler:Pennywise hinting that it recognises Richie as an ArmouredClosetGay]] has him literally running for his life.

* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Mark Vorkosigan is tortured into this by his "guardian". Eventually, the legendary Betan therapy helps. Beautiful, lovable--not to mention brave and understanding--Kareen Koudelka helps even more.
* ''Literature/LoneHuntress'': Between Lisa's [[MuscleAngst body issues]], her [[NoSocialSkills social awkwardness]], and the lingering trauma at the hands of the [[SpacePirates Fallen Angels]], Lisa has this in spades. Eventually she finds someone to help her work through it. [[spoiler: then it turns out to be a plot by the AncientEvil to get rid of her.]]
* The female lead in Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Mode'' series was like this, due to past trauma. It took a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind to fix it.
* Aliena in ''Literature/ThePillarsOfTheEarth'' has rape flashbacks when she's with Jack, resulting in KissKissSlap and her running into the woods. Jack is understandably bewildered by all of this.

* Callista in ''[[Literature/{{Darkover}} The Forbidden Tower]]'' has been so brainwashed into virginity that she freaks out if her husband so much as touches her. When a [[PsychicPowers Keeper]] freaks out, people get ''hurt''.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/TheNakedSun'' features Solaria, a world where people practically never have physical proximity to one another, and almost all of them are scared of sex as a result. [[spoiler:This also turns out to be a plot point]].
* ''Literature/{{Carrie}}''[='=]s mother Margaret White turns out to have a pathological fear of sex, coming from equal parts religious fanaticism and [[spoiler:the fact that her husband raped her, resulting in Carrie's birth (the fact that she ended up enjoying the act just messes her up even worse, if that's possible)]]. This resulted in some seriously repressive parenting to EvilMatriarch levels, to the point where she didn't even tell Carrie about her body's natural processes as she got older, resulting in Carrie's first period in her senior year being traumatic in more ways than one.
* The protagonist in Creator/KurtVonnegut's "Welcome to the Monkey House" can be considered an instance of this--with {{rape|PortrayedAsRedemption}} as the "cure". She is assured that her initial reluctance is "very typical" and she will Get Over It.
* ''Literature/SwordAtSunset'': Myth/KingArthur is so traumatised by the traditional SurpriseIncest with his sister that he develops some non-specified sexual dysfunction, whose scope he doesn't realize until his deeply awkward wedding night.
* Zsadist from the ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood'' series has this until ''Lover Awakened'', due to nearly every sexual experience he'd had up to that point being non-consensual on his part. Much of his development is focused on him getting over his many issues regarding this.

* Downplayed with James of ''[[Literature/Touch2017 Touch]]'', whose experience with rape makes him noticeably uncomfortable when sexual topics are discussed. He gets very angry when [[ArmoredClosetGay his own sexuality]] is mentioned and later implies that he's attempting to avoid his sexuality entirely because he doesn't want to be anything like his rapist.
* Lyrah in ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror.'' Even mentioning sex or nudity causes her anxiety, and actually dealing with it can send her into a panic attack. This becomes a problem when she's sent on a mission with Cueseg, a [[ForeignFanservice Tuerasian]] WalkingShirtlessScene with NoNudityTaboo.
* Pinkie Brown in ''Literature/BrightonRock'' is repulsed by sex as a result of repeatedly witnessing the PrimalScene (it doesn't help that he lives in a milieu packed to the gills with sexuality of the grubbiest, seediest kind). He's capable of feeling sexual arousal, [[spoiler:and even of consummating his marriage]], but the only passion he's actually comfortable with is a kind of desexualized [[{{Sadist}} sadism]].

* Laura Dickens from ''Series/TheSandbaggers'' -- according to the staff psychiatrist, it results from a combination of a prudish upbringing with a completely disastrous marriage that only lasted a week. [[spoiler:She's in the process of working through it so she and Neal can build a relationship when she's killed in the season 1 finale]].
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'':
** Mac describes herself as "frozen from the waist down" since a traumatic episode. She and her boyfriend had planned a special night to lose their virginity together. Just before the event, she takes a shower while he waits in bed for her. When she comes out of the shower, he is gone. [[spoiler:It turns out that he is a serial killer and rapist, and he left to kill Veronica because she had figured out he was the culprit]]. He takes her clothes, too, so she can't follow him, resulting in Veronica finding Mac crying and wrapped in a bedsheet.
** Mac's boyfriend [[spoiler:Beaver]] wouldn't do anything more than hold hands anyway, because of [[spoiler: his molestation as a child]]. However, she subsequently seems to get over this fairly easily, with little on-screen explanation.
* Dougal in ''Series/FatherTed'' is visibly uncomfortable around women except for Mrs. Doyle or older nuns, and shows genuine fear when he believes a strange woman may have entered the house. It's implied that a fear of women was his primary motivation for entering the priesthood, as he's shown to be uninterested in the tenets of Catholicism, and effectively an atheist in his personal beliefs.
* Series/{{Dexter}} deliberately dates a woman with this issue because it suits him down to the ground -- he wants a relationship for passing as normal and grows to enjoy the emotional connection. While Dexter does have a sex drive, he's afraid of himself (he's a serial killer and sometimes gets aroused by thoughts of murder and such) and he's also afraid that his girlfriend will see through his facade if they get intimate. He's also faintly repulsed by intimacy (in the novel, deeply repulsed, and also pretty much despises Rita, but they made the TV character much more relatable), and every previous sexual encounter has resulted in his ability to fake normality being totally blown out of the water since he's emotionally abnormal and spends most of his life going through the motions. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This does not work very well for sex]]. She eventually starts to get over her trauma and get her sex drive back, and with some work, they eventually manage to build a functioning sex life together because he does get inadvertently attached to her...and then his emotional life gets a shake-up courtesy of the Season One antagonist and his mind games. In the books it's implied the only reason he and Rita can have a sex life is that she's so damaged from her abusive ex-husband, she can't tell that he's not "doing it right".
* Series/{{Monk}}, due to his severe OCD. Also, he still regards himself as "married", although his wife was killed ten years before.

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'':
** Emma is afraid of getting into a relationship due to [[NeatFreak cleanliness OCD]] and HatesBeingTouched.
** A less extreme example would be Kurt in the second season. As of ''Sexy'', the thought of sex makes him incredibly uncomfortable, preferring to focus purely on romance. Played with in that he didn't appear to have much of a problem with it during season one--but then, after [[WhamEpisode "Never Been Kissed"]]... It is also important to note that at his age, it is ''perfectly normal'' not to feel like you are ready for sex. Everyone develops at a different pace. (As of "The First Time" he's gotten over it.)

* [[SoapOpera Soaps]] and other TV dramas like to churn this out whenever a character is raped:
** ''Series/GeneralHospital'''s Karen chalked this up to typical virginal nervousness until she remembered being molested by a boyfriend of her mother's.

* Laharl from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' has a rather extreme aversion to sexy women and all talk of sexual things. In fact, one villain takes advantage of this by stocking his side with [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubi]] and barely-dressed {{Cat Girl}}s, which actually [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration halves Laharl's stats]] for that level.
* [[spoiler:Ashmedia, the Overlord of '''Lust''']] in ''VideoGame/TrillionGodOfDestruction'' is this, panicking when she's caught by surprise in a sexual situation and immediately saying that she's not comfortable with it [[spoiler:and informing Zeabolos, who pulled the prank, that she's actually a virgin]]. While it's not stated outright, it's very clear that she has Histrionic Personality Disorder, as stated below.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Harbourmaster}}'', Governor Tal Monteblanc is deeply uncomfortable with sexuality and physical intimacy, to the point that [[http://www.waywardmartian.com/harbourmaster1/002-007.html he can't even offer a perfectly chaste comforting hug]].
* Tina Maxwell of ''Webcomic/NineteenNinetySomething'' is a MoralGuardian of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipper_Gore#Politics_and_activism Tipper Gore]] stripe, who believes any and all portrayals of intimacy are evil and must be stamped out. She tends to get a panicky, manic expression and quickly changes the subject whenever one of her kids asks her anything about sex (up to and including "Why are you freaking out about this?")
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Susan's greatest fear is that she might become a slutty homewrecker like the one her dad had an affair with. So while she finds others sexually attractive, she is repulsed at the idea of anyone having sex with ''her'' specifically out of fear that she might endanger someone else's relationship, to the point of asexuality.

* Liz Lemon in the ''Series/ThirtyRock'' episode "Reaganing." Generally, Liz always had a disinterest in sex. After a few seasons, it was {{Flanderized}} into this trope.
** For context, in the episode it is revealed that [[spoiler: when Liz was young, she was riding her rollerskates around the house when she needed to use the restroom. She tried to use the restroom with her skates still on but lost her balance and her mother found her on the floor with her underwear down covered in a Music/TomJones poster. Assuming the worst, her mother tore down all the posters of the men she liked in her room, leading Liz to proclaim that "Sex makes the people go away!"]]

* In Fumi Yoshinaga's ''Gerard & Jacques'': Jacques is a virgin at heart, a wannabe CelibateHero, and deeply believes sexuality is, oh dear, such a sin. Unfortunately, the UST between him and his, ahem, experienced master, keeps piling until Jacques succumbs to [[ADateWithRosiePalms a DIY solution]], and gets a huge moral hangover for it. The whole issue is played for light drama and fun, but in a darker work, it could have fueled worlds of angst.

** For context, in the episode it is revealed that [[spoiler: when Liz was young, she was riding her rollerskates around the house when she needed to use the restroom. She tried to use the restroom with her skates still on but lost her balance and her mother found her on the floor with her underwear down covered in a Music/TomJones poster. Assuming [[ADateWithRosiePalms the worst]], her mother tore down all the posters of the men she liked in her room, leading Liz to proclaim that "Sex makes the people go away!"]]

* While not touched upon in the anime, Firo of ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' was [[spoiler: once kidnapped by a pervert [[DudeLooksLikeALady who mistook him for a young girl]] and nearly [[AttemptedRape sexually assaulted]] him]]. The experience has left him with a very bad attitude towards men who make unsolicited advances on women and has made him scared of displaying any sort of sexual intimacy (even something as innocent as ''hand-holding'') for fear that it might be unwanted and troubling to the other party. It does, perhaps, help explain why he [[spoiler:engaged in innocent cohabitation with the same woman for ''fifty years'' before she [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove figured out human emotions enough to fall in love with him]], then stayed in a SexlessMarriage for another twenty and counting]].

* While Sousuke of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' is ObliviousToLove, he's not entirely oblivious to ''sex'' once you strip the euphemisms away and penetrate his SelectiveObliviousness. He is, however, absolutely terrified of it and sometimes suffers outright panic attacks (in stark contrast to his usual {{stoic}}ism) when placed in sexual situations he can't tune out or willfully misinterpret. The light novels imply this is because all of his prior sexual experience consists of [[DudeShesLikeInAComa almost]] [[StalkerWithACrush getting]] [[AttemptedRape assaulted]] several times, so he has nothing but bad associations with it.

* Surprisingly, [[LovableSexManiac Issei Hyodo]] in the first 10 volumes of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD.'' Even though he likes going so far as to poke Rias' breasts, he is extremely hesitant when she asks him to actually take her virginity to stop her ArrangedMarriage in Volume 2 and even more so when she wants to have her first time with him for real in Volume 10. While he was eager to get busy with his first "girlfriend" Yuma Amano, her turning out to be a fallen angel and killing him ended up [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest traumatizing him]] to the point that he is intimidated by any woman wanting to have a serious relationship since. The rest of his harem helps him get over that trauma and he is able to confess to Rias at the end of Volume 10.

* Played both for comedy and drama with Sanjouno Haruhime in ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon''. She was disowned by her family and ended up being sold as a prostitute, but her timid and gentle nature gets her ''extremely'' nervous every time she gets a customer. [[spoiler:So nervous in fact that she always faints in shock before the guy even touches her, and she's not aware that she's still a virgin.]]

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': The character of Akira shows clear moments of sexual attraction to the women around him, but pretty much banishes all thought of acting on them, seeming at other times asexual or oblivious. He gives excuses like that he’s "of the age where I’m [[BetterThanSex more interested in food than girls]]". That particular claim is debunked by Carol after she spends some time living with him. While it’s not explicitly answered, given how Akira reacts early in the story to both Sheryl’s smile and watching her HoneyTrap hunters with a great amount of fear (despite her being obviously physically weak), the best hint is that his disinterest is motivated by trauma. It’s been established that Akira’s life before the story was characterized by being used and betrayed by everyone he ever met. This is explained as [[spoiler:a side effect of him being an Old World connector being unconsciously broadcasting his impressions into people, which made this happen and caused the deaths of most DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals in the slums.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Emma is afraid due to cleanliness SuperOCD and HatesBeingTouched.

* Laharl from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' has a rather extreme aversion to sexy women and all talk of sexual things. In fact, one villain takes advantage of this by stocking his side with [[HornyDevils succubi]] and barely-dressed {{Cat Girl}}s, which actually [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration halves Laharl's stats]] for that level.

Alice is celibate and might even come across as if she was asexual. However, her sexuality is actually very strong, it's just that she can't express it because she is too burdened by shame, fear, and/or guilt. Thus, she might be unable to take initiative herself or to consent to things she actually does want. Even if she ''does'' manage to take initiative or give consent, it might still backfire horribly as the shame, etc reasserts itself. This is a subtrope of InternalizedCategorism: Alice really can't stand the thought of being one of ''those'' people -- the [[AllMenArePerverts "perverts"]], the [[MoralGuardians "sinners"]], maybe even including anyone who actually ''likes'' sex instead of [[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland doing the proper thing]]. ''However'', the character does ''not'' necessarily think that SexIsEvil. Instead, she might simply [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex doubt her own ability to handle it]].

* Pinkie Brown in ''Literature/BrightonRock'' is repulsed by sex as a result of repeatedly witnessing the PrimalScene (the grubby, seedy sexuality that's everywhere else in his milieu doesn't really help). He's capable of feeling sexual arousal, [[spoiler:and even of consummating his marriage]], but the only passion he's actually comfortable with is a kind of desexualized [[{{Sadist}} sadism]].

* Pinkie Brown in ''Literature/BrightonRock'' is repulsed by sex as a result of repeatedly witnessing the PrimalScene (the grubby, seedy sexuality that's everywhere else in his milieu doesn't really help). He's capable of feeling sexual arousal, [[spoiler:and even of consummating his marriage]], but the only passion he's actually comfortable with is a kind of desexualized [[TheSadist sadism]].

Alice is celibate and might even come across as if she was asexual. However, her sexuality is actually very strong, it's just that she can't express it because she is too burdened by shame, fear, and/or guilt. Thus, she might be unable to take initiative herself or to consent to things she actually does want. Even if she ''does'' manage to take initiative or give consent, it might still backfire horribly as the shame, etc reasserts itself. This is a subtrope of InternalizedCategorism: Alice really can't stand the thought of being one of ''those'' people--the [[AllMenArePerverts "perverts"]], the [[MoralGuardians "sinners"]], maybe even including anyone who actually ''likes'' sex instead of [[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland doing the proper thing]]. ''However'', the character does ''not'' necessarily think that SexIsEvil. Instead, she might simply [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex doubt her own ability to handle it]].

When a character struggling with this overcomes it, the problem might be [[HappilyEverAfter resolved by entering a simple stable relationship]]. However, [[DestructiveRomance this could turn sour]] if the character hasn't really dealt with the underlying issues, or it could result in a counter-reaction, where the character turns overtly sexual. This can be [[EthicalSlut a good thing]] or [[SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny a bad thing]], depending on how the character handles it. In a balanced story, both paths are possible. There also might also be some zig-zagging as the character learns to cope with their sexuality. However, in an {{Anvilicious}} work, only one of the two paths are possible, since the author has [[BlackAndWhiteMorality already decided]] either that SexIsGood or that SexIsEvil.

Note that while this trope and SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny are sometimes ''caused'' by the same social and psychological mechanisms, they have two very different ways of handling it: Sex Is Evil And I Am Horny is about ''acting out'' in a way that is self-destructive and/or abusive, while Paralyzing Fear Of Sexuality is about avoiding expressing one's sexuality at all. See also CelibateHero and WindmillPolitical. Compare HeteronormativeCrusader. Contrast DoesNotLikeMen and HeManWomanHater.

** Akane, on the other hand, is the first to leap to sexual conclusions about any situation that could be interpreted that way, and almost invariably gets angry or violently defensive when things seem to be taking a turn "for the perverse". Even in the rare occasions that she doesn't, she still pushes back at Ranma in a passive-aggressive sort of way. Her reluctance to admit her desires for Ranma have to do with a potent combination of lingering distaste for men as a result of the [[BestHerToBedHer "Hentai Horde" incident]], smoldering resentment over the fact she was engaged to Ranma by her father against her will, her own insecurities that Ranma wants her back, and a desire not to have her heart broken by admitting her love for Ranma and then losing him to one of the other girls.

* In the ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/YourServantMistress'', Maleficent suffers from this. Understandably, as the incidence that makes her go dark in the film is changed into the thing [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil that it was symbolic for in the first place]]. As this is an all-human story wherein she and Diaval are in a BDSM--relationship, this makes things very complicated.

* Downplayed in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13331021/1/ Feelings and Desires]]''. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] has finally moved on from his ChasteHero and ObliviousToLove stages, and is in [[ChildhoodFriendRomance a happy relationship with Misty]]. However, during their first anniversary together, he wants to take their relationship to a more intimate level, but is afraid to take the step out of fear of Misty taking it the wrong way (the fact that Misty had a bad breakup two years prior might also be a factor). Misty catches on and intentionally gets him in embarrassing situations, [[TheTease partially to fluster him]], and partially to get him to man up and do it. They finally talk things out and Misty helps Ash realize there's nothing to be ashamed of, so long as they do it out of love, culminating in them having TheirFirstTime.

* The teenage girl in ''Film/FemalePerversions'', portrayed as a quite natural counter-reaction to her desperately oversexualized aunt's creepiness.

* Laurie in ''Film/Halloween1978''. It's pretty much all but outright stated that she is the only virgin among her friends. While she shows a clear interest in the opposite sex she is either too shy, awkward, or scared to act upon her desires. WordOfGod states she was written like this to make her comparable to the main villain, Michael, and that when she stabs him several times at the end of the movie, this is her taking out her pent up sexual frustrations.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/TheNakedSun'' features Solaria, a world where people practically never have physical proximity to another, and almost all of them are scared of sex as a result. [[spoiler:This also turns out to be a plot point]].

* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'': It's [[DownplayedTrope subtle]], but Torisen is a little afraid of his own attraction to Jame. Completely {{Justified|Trope}} by his past relationship with Kallystine. Kallystine was trying her hardest to seduce Torisen for political reasons. Torisen knew this perfectly well, and he hated and resented her... but it seems she ''did'' managed to seduce him for short periods of time despite this. It's implied she managed this by using {{Love Potion}}s. Kallystine was the only past relationship Torisen's had, and so in his only real experience with his own attraction, it was the result of being drugged and manipulated by someone he hated. As a result, even when he experiences organic attraction to Jame, it partially makes him fear her more.

* Downplayed with James of ''[[Literature/Touch2017 Touch]]'', whose experience with rape makes him noticeably uncomfortable when sexual topics are discussed. He gets very angry when [[ArmoredClosetGay his own sexuality]] is mentioned, and later implies that he's attempting to avoid his sexuality entirely, because he doesn't want to be anything like his rapist.

* Laura Dickens from ''Series/TheSandbaggers''--according to the staff psychiatrist, it results from a combination of a prudish upbringing with a completely disastrous marriage that only lasted a week. [[spoiler:She's in the process of working through it so she and Neal can build a relationship when she's killed in the season 1 finale]].

* Series/{{Dexter}} deliberately dates a woman with this issue because it suits him down to the ground--he wants a relationship for passing as normal and grows to enjoy the emotional connection. While Dexter does have a sex drive, he's afraid of himself (he's a serial killer, and sometimes get aroused by thoughts of murder and such) and he's also afraid that his girlfriend will see through his facade if they get intimate. He's also faintly repulsed by intimacy (in the novel, deeply repulsed, and also pretty much despises Rita, but they made the TV character much more relatable), and every previous sexual encounter has resulted in his ability to fake normality being totally blown out of the water, since he's emotionally abnormal and spends most of his life going through the motions. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This does not work very well for sex]]. She eventually starts to get over her trauma and get her sex drive back, and with some work, they eventually manage to build a functioning sex life together because he does get inadvertently attached to her...and then his emotional life gets a shake-up courtesy of the Season One antagonist and his mind games. In the books it's implied the only reason he and Rita can have a sex life is that she's so damaged from her abusive ex-husband, she can't tell that he's not "doing it right".

* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': At Act I Scene V, Cyrano confesses to Le Bret that the only thing he fears in the world is that Roxane will laugh at him when he confesses his love for her. At Act V Scene VI, Cyrano confesses that he feared to be mocked by women, implying that he is a CelibateHero. This trope is justified [[FreudianExcuse because in his childhood]], [[TheGrotesque given his enormous nose]], [[MommyIssues Cyrano felt that his mom did not love him]]. The whole idea of being capable of being loved is strange to him.

* Billups in ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' has remained a virgin his entire life because under the laws of his homeworld, which he's the crown prince of, if he ever has sex he'll instantly become king and have to leave Starfleet. When his mother the queen [[spoiler:seemingly]] dies and he needs to take the throne for the good of his people, he's unable to perform the "royal duty" with his incredibly attractive male and female BodyguardBabes and seems genuinely terrified throughout. When he learns that [[spoiler:his mom faked her death]] and he doesn't have to go through with it, he's overcome with joy and relief, even throwing a celebration party.

* Tina Maxwell of ''Webcomic/NineteenNinetySomething'' is a MoralGuardian of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipper_Gore#Politics_and_activism Tipper Gore]] stripe (turned UpToEleven), who believes any and all portrayals of intimacy are evil and must be stamped out. She tends to get a panicky, manic expression and quickly changes the subject whenever one of her kids asks her anything about sex (up to and including "Why are you freaking out about this?")

* The protagonist of ''Ore ga Fujoshi de Aitsu ga Yuriota de'' is a YuriFanboy who loves the idea of intimacy between girls but is disgusted at the idea of a male being even present. Then one day he switches bodies with a YaoiFangirl; what might seem like heaven is made into torment by how he still thinks of himself as a boy who defiles girls by just seeing them. Making it worse is that he expects the girl to be equally horrified in his body, but instead [[LovableSexManiac she enthusiastically gathers "reference material" and invites him to make use of her body]].

* In the ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/20639852 Baby Steps to the Finish Line]]'' Teru wants to take things to a more intimate level in their relationship but Mob is afraid to do more than kiss. It's very slow going but they work through it together.

* [[{{Tsundere}} Yui]] [[ControlFreak Kotegawa]] from ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', is a firm believer of AllMenArePerverts and SexIsEvil at first. As the story progresses, she undergoes CharacterDevelopment and becomes closer to this trope.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Because of [[RapeAsBackstory being abused as a child]], Guts HatesBeingTouched by anyone except Casca, and to an extent [[HoYay Griffith as well]]. After being celibate for a long time he eventually develops SingleTargetSexuality for Casca, but he has a panic attack during TheirFirstTime as a result of his pent-up trauma. The good news is that they work through it together, and after that, he even expresses interest in doing it with her 1000 times more. The bad news is that the Eclipse and Casca's mental condition afterwards create a different problem: He strongly desires to have sex with her again even though he knows she isn't able to give consent, and [[spoiler:a NearRapeExperience with her caused by his EnemyWithin]] makes him fearful that his urges will lead to him abusing her. From then on he tries not to ever see her unclothed and leaves most of her personal care to [[TheCaretaker Farnese]].

* While not touched upon in the anime, Firo of ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' was [[spoiler: once kidnapped by a pervert [[DudeLooksLikeALady who mistook him for a young girl]] and nearly [[AttemptedRape sexually assaulted]] him]]. The experience has left him with a very bad attitude towards men who make unsolicited advances on women and has made him scared of displaying any sort of sexual intimacy (even something as innocent as ''hand-holding'') for fear that it might be unwanted and troubling to the other party. It does, perhaps, help explain why he [[spoiler:engaged in innocent cohabitation with the same woman for ''fifty years'' before she [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove figured out human emotions enough to fall in love with him]], then stayed in a SexlessMarriage for another twenty and counting]].

* In ''Manga/{{Zetman}}'', Kouga Amagi develops this from experiencing the "Jirou Incident" where a large number of innocent victims were [[spoiler:raped and murdered as part of an attempted plot to discredit his family]]. He starts going out with Mayu, a girl he rescued from that ordeal, but after two years together he hasn't even held her hand because of the PTSD-like symptoms he gets from anything associated with sex or intimacy.

* Played both for comedy and drama with Sanjouno Haruhime in ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon''. She was disowned by her family and ended up being sold as a prostitute, but her timid and gentle nature gets her ''extremely'' nervous every time she gets a customer. [[spoiler:So nervous in fact that she always faints in shock before the guy even touches her, and she's not aware that she's still a virgin.]]
* While Sousuke of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' is ObliviousToLove, he's not entirely oblivious to ''sex'' once you strip the euphemisms away and penetrate his SelectiveObliviousness. He is, however, absolutely terrified of it and sometimes suffers outright panic attacks (in stark contrast to his usual {{stoic}}ism) when placed in sexual situations he can't tune out or willfully misinterpret. The light novels imply this is because all of his prior sexual experience consists of [[DudeShesLikeInAComa almost]] [[StalkerWithACrush getting]] [[AttemptedRape assaulted]] several times, so he has nothing but bad associations with it.
* Surprisingly, [[LovableSexManiac Issei Hyodo]] in the first 10 volumes of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD.'' Even though he likes going so far as to poke Rias' breasts, he is extremely hesitant when she asks him to actually take her virginity to stop her ArrangedMarriage in Volume 2 and even more so when she wants to have her first time with him for real in Volume 10. While he was eager to get busy with his first "girlfriend" Yuma Amano, her turning out to be a fallen angel and killing him ended up [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest traumatizing him]] to the point that he is intimidated by any woman wanting to have a serious relationship since. The rest of his harem helps him get over that trauma and he is able to confess to Rias at the end of Volume 10.

* Series/{{Dexter}} deliberately dates a woman with this issue because it suits him down to the ground--he wants [[TheBeard a relationship for passing as normal]] and grows to enjoy the emotional connection, but they are both effectively {{asexual}} at first and that's just the way he likes it. While Dexter does have a sex drive, he's afraid of himself (he's a serial killer, and sometimes get aroused by thoughts of murder and such) and he's also afraid that his girlfriend will see through his facade if they get intimate. He's also faintly repulsed by intimacy (in the novel, deeply repulsed, and also pretty much despises Rita, but they made the TV character much more relatable), and every previous sexual encounter has resulted in his ability to fake normality being totally blown out of the water, since he's emotionally abnormal and spends most of his life going through the motions. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This does not work very well for sex]]. She eventually starts to get over her trauma and get her sex drive back, and with some work, they eventually manage to build a functioning sex life together because he does get inadvertently attached to her...and then his emotional life gets a shake-up courtesy of the Season One antagonist and his mind games. In the books it's implied the only reason he and Rita can have a sex life is that she's so damaged from her abusive ex-husband, she can't tell that he's not "doing it right".

Alice is celibate and might even come across as if she was {{Asexual|ity}}. However, her sexuality is actually very strong, it's just that she can't express it because she is too burdened by shame, fear, and/or guilt. Thus, she might be unable to take initiative herself or to consent to things she actually does want. Even if she ''does'' manage to take initiative or give consent, it might still backfire horribly as the shame, etc reasserts itself. This is a subtrope of InternalizedCategorism: Alice really can't stand the thought of being one of ''those'' people--the [[AllMenArePerverts "perverts"]], the [[MoralGuardians "sinners"]], maybe even including anyone who actually ''likes'' sex instead of [[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland doing the proper thing]]. ''However'', the character does ''not'' necessarily think that SexIsEvil. Instead, she might simply [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex doubt her own ability to handle it]].

* If ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' isn't explicitly asexual, he's this. His outright disgust with human sexuality and aversion to being touched implies that he may very well ''have'' a sexuality but deeply represses it. Given that his arousal is one of the internal forces he lists as wanting to free himself from in his search for autonomy in Book 7 (along with hunger and tiredness), that's probably it.