Asexual is a sexual orientation referring to those who experience little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality can be referred to on its own, or it can be designated under the asexual umbrella. Due to its scope of variability, there are many different perceived meanings of the non-normative term (Chasin, 2011; Mitchell & Hunnicutt, 2019). Often those who identify more broadly with the asexual umbrella use the term “ace” as a simplification of the terminology that can include asexual, graysexual, and demisexual. Societal awareness is critical in the development of asexual identity, with general knowledge of asexual terminology being a key factor in the articulation of sexual identity (Gupta, 2016), leading to many finding and identifying with asexuality self-concepts later in life.
Framing & Perspectives
A social assumption on sexuality is that all humans possess and experience sexual desire (Gupta, 2016; Mitchell & Hunnicutt, 2019; Scherrer, 2008). Those who identify under the asexual umbrella challenge the societal view of compulsory sexuality (Gupta, 2016). Prior to 2021, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) defined asexuality under more stringent terms highlighting lack of sexual desire. In 2021, AVEN redefined the term Asexual to include those who may experience little sexual attraction or conditional sexual attraction (Winer et al., 2024). The variability of asexuality is vast, with some individuals who feel no sexual desire and are not sexually active, whilst some report sexual desire and are active sexually (Winer et al. 2024). Many asexual people will also use modifiers such as aromantic or panromantic to describe themselves and separate the frameworks of sexual and romantic attraction.The ace spectrum is thus a largely heterogeneous group. (Winer et al., 2024).
Within the asexual spectrum, there are distinctions in sexual attraction, desire and behavior (Chan & Hung, 2024) and each can vary from non-existent, to infrequent, to context-dependent (Hille et al, 2019). Differentiation between romantic and sexual orientation can also be an important aspect of the asexual identity, allowing individuals to differentiate and pair any romantic orientation with any sexual orientation (Hille et al., 2019; Sennkestra, 2020). This allows someone who may identify as ace to elaborate on their romantic and sexual attractions. For example, someone can identify as asexual biromantic, having romantic attraction to multiple genders but abstaining or having little sexual desire.
The complexity of asexual identity development also plays a role in representation and community as societal awareness, or lack thereof, can hinder asexual identity formation. Sexual identities are often hitched to respective societal gender expressions and many asexual’s report discovering sexual identity through various sexual identities through digital mediums (Mitchell & Hunnicutt, 2019) and often adopt other sexual identities earlier in their lifetime. Data show about half of those on the asexual-spectrum once identified as bisexual, pansexual, or a closely related term (Winer et al., 2024).
Relevance
Historically asexuality was viewed as a disorder rather than an orientation. For example, the DSM-IV-TR in psychology considered the lack of sexual attraction to be classified under hyposexual desire disorder (MacInnis & Hodson 2012). People who identify as asexual may be subjects of greater intergroup bias, socially evaluated more negatively, viewed as less human, and are less valued as partners relative to other sexual minorities (MacInnis & Hodson, 2012). The importance of understanding the diversity in sexuality and understanding the need of proper representation of minority populations and accurately representing individuals is crucial to propelling our society forward. Enabling self-concepts and providing verbiage for self-expression challenges intolerance and promotes a better future.
Keywords: Sexuality, Romantic Orientation, Romantic Attraction, Sexual Attraction, Ace, Asexual Umbrella, Graysexual, Aromantic
Connected terms: Acronym “LGBTQIAPN+”, Bisexual, Demisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Aromantic, Androsexual, Bodily Autonomy, Kink, Queer
References
AVEN. (n.d.).General FAQ. Retrieved October 18, 2024, from https://www.asexuality.org/?q=general.html
Carvalho, A.C., Rodrigues, D.L. Sexuality, Sexual Behavior, and Relationships of Asexual Individuals: Differences Between Aromantic and Romantic Orientation. Arch Sex Behav 51, 2159–2168 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02187-2
Chan, R. C. H., & Hung, F. N. (2024). Sexual Violence Victimization and Substance Use among Individuals Identifying on the Asexual Spectrum: Differences between Asexuality, Graysexuality, and Demisexuality. The Journal of Sex Research, 1–13.https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2024.2351423
DeLuzio Chasin, C. Theoretical Issues in the Study of Asexuality. Arch Sex Behav 40, 713–723 (2011).https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9757-x
Gupta, K. (2016). “And Now I’m Just Different, but There’s Nothing Actually Wrong With Me”: Asexual Marginalization and Resistance. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(8), 991–1013.https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016.1236590
Hille, J. J., Simmons, M. K., & Sanders, S. A. (2019). “Sex” and the Ace Spectrum: Definitions of Sex, Behavioral Histories, and Future Interest for Individuals Who Identify as Asexual, Graysexual, or Demisexual. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(7), 813–823.https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1689378
MacInnis, C. C., & Hodson, G. (2012). Intergroup bias toward “Group X”: Evidence of prejudice, dehumanization, avoidance, and discrimination against asexuals. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 15(6), 725-743.https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430212442419
Mitchell, H., Hunnicutt, G. Challenging Accepted Scripts of Sexual “Normality”: Asexual Narratives of Non-normative Identity and Experience. Sexuality & Culture 23, 507–524 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-018-9567-6
Overview | The Asexual Visibility and Education Network | asexuality.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2024, fromhttps://www.asexuality.org/?q=overview.html
Sennkestra. (2020, April 30). Differentiating Attraction/Orientations (Or, the “Split Attraction Model” by any other name is so much sweeter.) – NEXT STEP: CAKE.https://nextstepcake.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/naming-differentiating-attraction-orientations/
Scherrer, K. S. (2008). Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire. Sexualities, 11(5), 621-641.https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460708094269
Siggy. (2019). Splitting the Split Attraction Model | The Asexual Agenda. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2024, fromhttps://asexualagenda.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/splitting-the-split-attraction-model/
Winer, C., Carroll, M., Yang, Y., Linder, K., & Miles, B. (2024). “I Didn’t Know Ace Was a Thing”: Bisexuality and pansexuality as identity pathways in asexual identity formation. Sexualities, 27(1-2), 267-289.https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607221085485
