Asexuality
By: Riley Fortier, M.Ed.
What is asexuality?
Asexuality is another sexuality in the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum. People who are asexual experience little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexual people, or “aces,” often identify somewhere on a spectrum that includes their emotional, spiritual and romantic attraction to other people. (Want to explore your sexuality? Click here to see if one of our therapists is a good fit for you).
Check out the video below to learn more about defining this type of sexuality:
Additionally, check out this video where asexual people answer common questions:
Asexuality is NOT:
- Abstinence
- Celibacy
- Sexual repression
- Inability to find a partner
- Fear of intimacy
Asexual people MIGHT:
- Fall in love
- Be in a relationship
- Masturbate
- Experience an orgasm
- Choose to engage in sexual activity
- Choose to not engage in sexual activity
- Have children
- Have had sex before
Related identities
Demisexual: People who only experience sexual attraction once they form a strong emotional connection with another person.
Grey-A: People who identify somewhere between sexual and asexual.
Allosexual: people who experience sexual attraction; the “opposite” of asexual
Resources
https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-asexual-community
https://lgbtq.unc.edu/resources/exploring-identities/asexuality-attraction-and-romantic-orientation/
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/six-ways-be-ally-asexual-people
AVEN – The Asexual Visibility and Education Network – Includes Forum
Asexuality: A Brief Introduction PDF (Asexuality Archive)
Planned Parenthood: Sexual Orientation
