History Main / ParalyzingFearOfSexuality

* Lt. Cmmdr. 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.

* ''Literature/SwordAtSunset'': 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.

No individual RealLife examples, please--structural examples are okay, however.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This can be caused by disorders of varying severity, such as [[http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Sexual-aversion-disorder.html Sexual Aversion Disorder]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid Schizoid Personality Disorder]]. It can also be a symptom of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histrionic_personality_disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder]]; though such people often ''act'' highly sexualized in their manners, interactions, dress sense, etc., this is only because it gets them attention and masks their insecurities, and actual physical intimacy with another person might terrify them.
* Men who were brought up with the belief that SexIsEvil and a woman who had sex is DefiledForever, can take this to the logical conclusion that having sex with women is disrespectful in and of itself. See page quote. If it is deeply ingrained, being told that SexIsGood may not be enough to fix the problem.
* Can be a non-physical cause of [[TheLoinsSleepTonight erectile dysfunction]], and its DistaffCounterpart [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaginismus vaginismus]].
* Gay and bi people who were brought up with the belief that same-gender attraction is wrong can end up like this due to [[InternalizedCategorism internalized homophobia]].
* A possible reaction to rape/sexual abuse (along with HatesBeingTouched), especially if the victim had little to no positive experience of sex beforehand.
* Possible in pre-op [[TransTribulations trans]] people who have extreme discomfort with their bodies.
* Often people from strict religious communities act like this, which can lead to InternalizedCategorism and DefiledForever ideas above.[[/folder]]

* Marsden in ''Theatre/StrangeInterlude''.

* Downplayed with James of ''Literature/{{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.

There are many reasons why this might be, whether it's [[PlayedForLaughs treated as funny]] or not. One of the most common is virginity, where a character who has never had sex before is nervous about it for one reason or another--sometimes because they don't know how are worried about finishing [[JizzedInMyPants too early]] or [[TheLoinsSleepTonight not at all]] (especially with teenagers), or they're just nervous about having sex for the first time in general. Other examples may be a fear of intimacy, leading to them fearing the inherent physical and emotional vulnerability involved in sexual situations, or low self-esteem. Another frequently used explanation for this is a character having been raped/sexually assaulted and developing a fear of sexuality as a result of the trauma. Note that in RealLife [[PromiscuityAfterRape and in fiction]] alike, not everyone reacts this way, but both are reactions seen in survivors of rape and sexual assault and will vary from person to person.

* Sally in ''Film/{{Intermission}}''

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

* ''Manga/GirlsBravo'': Yukinari gets hives whenever he makes contact with other girls, mostly because he is intimidated and pushed around by them all his life.
%%* Miyuki from ''Anime/MiyukiChanInWonderland''

** Akane, on the other hand, is the first to leaps 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.
* 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'd always faint in shock before the guy would even touch her, and she's not aware that she's still a virgin.]]

* ''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 her 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 "cure". She is assured that her initial reluctance is "very typical" and she will Get Over It.

* ''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.

* Between the horror stories she's been told for years about her older sister and the fact that [[spoiler: the gang-rape really happened to HER]], Literature/MySweetAudrina has this big time.

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. And 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]].

* 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. And 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]].

* 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. And when a [[PsychicPowers Keeper]] freaks out, people get ''hurt''.

* Laurie in ''Film/{{Halloween}}''. 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.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Downplayed with James of ''Literature/{{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.
[[/folder]]

This trope is much more frequently applied to women than [[AManIsAlwaysEager men]], and when it is applied to men, it’s often [[PlayedForLaughs considered funny]]. In RealLife, it’s widely believed to be [[MoralGuardians far more common among]] [[AllWomenArePrudes women]] [[ImAManICantHelpIt than among]] [[AllMenArePerverts men]], along with a perception that if a man suffers from it, it's often partially built on a fear of [[AllAbusersAreMale being abusive]]. Another common belief is that [[AllGaysArePromiscuous all gay people are promiscuous]] (though ArmouredClosetGay characters have been known to overlap with this trope). However, it’s important to note that there is a vast range of reasons someone might feel this way, and anyone can be nervous about sex, regardless of gender or sexuality. When a kid is too shy to express their ([[DirtyKid usually]] nonsexual) PuppyLove, they may appear to be an AffectionHatingKid on the surface.

This trope is much more frequently applied to women than [[AManIsAlwaysEager men]], and when it is applied to men, it’s often [[PlayedForLaughs considered funny]]. In RealLife, it’s widely believed to be [[MoralGuardians far more common among]] [[AllWomenArePrudes women]] [[ImAManICantHelpIt than among]] [[AllMenArePerverts men]], along with a perception that if a man suffers from it, it's often partially built on a fear of [[AllAbusersAreMale being abusive]]. Another common belief is that [[AllGaysArePromiscuous all gay people are promiscuous]]. However, it’s important to note that there is a vast range of reasons someone might feel this way, and anyone can be nervous about sex, regardless of gender or sexuality. When a kid is too shy to express their ([[DirtyKid usually]] nonsexual) PuppyLove, they may appear to be an AffectionHatingKid on the surface.

This trope is much more frequently applied to women than [[AManIsAlwaysEager men]], and when it is applied to men, it’s often [[PlayedForLaughs considered funny]]. In RealLife, it’s widely believed to be [[MoralGuardians far more common among]] [[AllWomenArePrudes women]] [[ImAManICantHelpIt than among]] [[AllMenArePerverts men]], along with a perception that if a man suffers from it, it's often partially built on a fear of [[AllAbusersAreMale being abusive]]. Another common belief is that [[AllGaysArePromiscuous all gay people are promiscuous]]. However, it’s important to note that there is a vast range of reasons someone might feel this way, and anyone can be nervous about sex, regardless of gender or sexuality.

* 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.

* 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 Tuerasian WalkingShirtlessScene with NoNudityTaboo.

* 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 he recognises Richie as an ArmouredClosetGay]] has him literally running for his life.

* Possible in pre-op [[TransTribulations trans]] people who have extreme discomfort with their bodies.[[/folder]]

* [[spoiler:Ashmedia, the Overlord of '''Lust''']] 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.