What Is Asexuality, Really? We Asked A Sexologist
Read the full article on Refinery29 by Nina Miyashita here.
A few years ago, an A was added to the end of the official queer acronym, making it LGBTQIA+. This was a huge moment for the asexual or "ace" community, as it was a sign that asexuality was becoming part of more mainstream conversations about queerness.
So much so, that you yourself have probably heard a lot more about asexuality in pop culture and in conversations over the last few years. But do you know what asexuality really means?
"Asexuality is surrounded by myths, and marked by a distinct lack of information, research and representation in mainstream society," says sexologist and sex coach Georgia Grace. "Asexuality and being part of the ace community is traditionally defined as having no sexual attraction towards others or yourself. But like all areas of sexuality, asexuality can exist on a spectrum — it is a really individual experience."
On this spectrum, we can broadly categorise three general "types" of asexuality that can help explain an asexual person's relationship to sex.
Sex-repulsed asexual people are usually completely disinterested in the act or idea of sex. Sex-neutral asexuals are often those in relationships with non-asexual partners — generally, they aren't closed off to the idea of sex and probably engage in it fairly regularly, but also don't go out of their way to have sex with their partner/s. And finally, there are sex-positive asexuals, who enjoy having sex for physical pleasure but still don't experience sexual attraction to others.
"There are also other related sexual orientations, like demisexuality, which means you can only feel sexual attraction after you already feel a close emotional bond with someone," Grace explains. "And then there's the 'grey area', which is a term for people who feel like asexuality almost describes them but isn’t quite right. There's also homoaesthetic attraction, which is having a strong attraction to one gender that isn’t sexual — it may also be referred to as aesthetic attraction or platonic attraction."
"One of the bigger misconceptions about asexual people is that they don't enjoy companionship or physical touch whatsoever."
"One of the bigger misconceptions about asexual people is that they don't enjoy companionship or physical touch whatsoever."
One of the bigger misconceptions about asexual people is that they don't enjoy companionship or physical touch whatsoever. In reality, asexuality is just a new way of looking at people's experiences and feelings towards sex and the value it has in our lives.
When it comes to dating, many asexual people still experience feelings of love and romance and desire a relationship (though, of course, others don't enjoy it). For people who don't experience romantic attraction but still feel sexual attraction, they might be better described as aromantic. But how does an asexual person successfully date or be in a relationship, especially if they're dating a non-asexual person?
Read the full article on Refinery29 by Nina Miyashita here.