I've been challenged to say why genre TV is decades behind mainstream fiction.

Behind in what way?

Behind in what way?

Integrating minorities as fully-fleshed characters.

But I don't think it is. I think TV is behind life, but genre and mainstream are reasonably even.

there's an unaired scene [or just unaired in the US?] that addresses it, though, again, without using the actual word

Which scene is that? The guy who was telling me first he was gay was using the "Your date"..."I'm not his date!" scene as ammo, but I didn't see the US cut, so I don't know if that was it.

It was the scene in the restaurant. I'ma have to see if I can find it. When did Sherlock air in the US? Because there were lots of links in the asexual LJ community at that time.

I didn't see the restaurant scene as an indication of asexuality as much as awkward heterosexuality making sure no one gets any ideas. My worldview is pretty binary, though, when it comes to relationships (trinary? MF, MM, FF?) so I don't think to look for all the possible shadings.

Suzi, are you doing Grant Farms again? I finally found someone to split with (1.2 veggie and 1 fruit each!) but she's doing a migrant walk through the AZ desert and I can't remember when we start.

My church is a drop-off location this year and our cool pastor was cackling over taking over the "most liberal church downtown" title from the church down the block.

as much as awkward heterosexuality

He does explicitly say in that conversation that girlfriends aren't his thing, so heterosexuality is the last Kinsey thing I'd think it confirmed. He does not conversely say that boyfriends are not his thing, just that he has too much on his plate to date so Watson shouldn't think of him that way.

Grant Farms - yep. Pick-ups start the week of the 13th. Their site will let you know the day/time for pick-up. Last year my day was Friday and I'm glad I double checked, cause now it is Thursday.

I had wanted to go to their open house yesterday, maybe we will make it to the fall open house.

I didn't see the restaurant scene as an indication of asexuality as much as awkward heterosexuality making sure no one gets any ideas.

I meant there was a cut scene that expanded on the conversation, not the scene as it was shown in the US. Sorry if I was unclear. I'm looking for a link.

This conversation, Steph?

Sorry; the clip I'm thinking of is from the unaired pilot. Which I understand will be dismissed by people as not canon (though, honestly, I still get total asexual, possibly -- *possibly* -- homoromantic, from Cumberbatch!Sherlock). That said, clip: [link] (the clip starts with the scene from the unaired pilot and then goes to the aired scene from "A Study in Pink," which you linked to, ita).

I think "I'm really not looking for *any* kind of..." (from "A Study in Pink" and from the unaired pilot [delivered with a more emphatic inflection on the "any" in the unaired clip]) can be fairly interpreted as asexual, particularly when paired with "I'm married to my work," and "Not really my area" as a reply to the query as to whether he has a girlfriend.

Sure, "Not really my area" could be closeted gay!Sherlock trying to dodge the issue of his homosexuality, but I just don't think a closeted gay!Sherlock would follow that up by telling Watson that his (Watson's) interest in Sherlock is misplaced.

Therefore, if "not my area" does *not* = gay!Sherlock, it reads as asexual to me. Particularly on the delivery. It's very curt and dismissive, and I think gay!Sherlock would deliver "not my area" with more of an innuendo.

Back to the unaired pilot: the "everything else is transport" line reads, to me, as more dismissal of physical, bodily needs. And since the context is relationships/sex, it reads more specifically to me as dismissal of sexual relationships.