Asexual

 is an ace-spec identity. It is also an umbrella term for sexualities that are defined by a lack of sexual attraction.

Alternate Names

 * Ace

Etymology
The prefix a- means "not" or "a lack of" in Greek.

Definitions

 * Someone who is asexual experiences little to no sexual attraction. - healthline, 2021
 * Someone who does not experience sexual attraction or an intrinsic desire to have sexual relationships (or the adjective describing a person as such). - AVEN

History
The term asexual, outside of relating to human sexuality, is used to describe biological organisms that have no sex organs or reproduces without sex. Its use as a label was popularized by Alfred Kinsey in his Kinsey Scale, with X representing individuals who do not engage in sexual behaviors.

One of the first references to asexuality in humans was in 1896 by Magnus Hirshfeld in his book "Sappho and Sokrates", where he says, "There are individuals who are without any sexual desire".

The earliest asexual proto-community formed in the comments of a 1997 article by Zoe O'Reilly entitled "My Life as a Human Amoeba". In 2001, David Jay created the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN).

Over the years, asexuality has been defined in a variety of ways by different individuals. AVEN first described asexuality as being "attracted to neither gender." David Jay was then contacted by someone concerned about the "neither gender" part and, in response, he modified the definition so that it did not assume a gender binary. The LJ Asexuality Community had in its descriptor, "We welcome anyone with no or very little sexual attraction to others." Later, in 2005, the descriptor was changed to "We welcome anyone with no or very little sexual attraction to others, people with low or no libido, and their allies."

Another early explicit reference to asexuality in the U.S. came from gay activist Carl Schlegel. Schlegel issued pleas for queer equality that referenced asexuality, "Let the same laws for all the intermediate stages of sexual life: the homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, asexuals, be legal as they are now in existence for heterosexuals."

Community
Wearing a black ring on the middle finger, typically on the right hand, as a way to subtly identify the wearer as asexual originated on an AVEN thread from 2005.

Statistics
In a 2019 study at the Williams Institute, an estimate of 1.7% of sexual minority adults identify as asexual, with 27% identifying as women and 72% identifying as genderqueer or non-binary.

Explicit asexual representation in media is uncommon, but when it's seen, it's often cast as a joke, as illegitimate, or as an obstacle for a character to overcome. Some depictions are often erased by fandom or adaptations.

Perceptions and Discrimination
In 2013, the DSM-5 was publisd, the DSM-5 and ICD-10 currently define low sexual desire as a disorder.


 * DSM-5: Female sexual interest/arousal disorder, male hypoactive sexual desire disorder
 * ICD-10: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD

The disorders listed in the DSM-5 have criteria that excludes individuals who self-identify as asexual.

Subsets

 * Acefog
 * Aceflux
 * Acejump
 * Acespike
 * Acevague
 * Acevoid

Flags
In 2010, AVEN held a vote for the asexual pride flag. The winning flag was designed by AVEN user Standup and was uploaded on June 30th, 2010. The black, grey and white gradient was based on the AVEN triangle. The black is for asexuals, the grey is for other ace-spec identities, such as greysexual and demisexual, white represents allosexuals, and purple represents community. The purple was likely added because of AVEN's purple color scheme.

Common symbols for ace individuals are playing cards, due to the fact that asexual is often shortened to ace. Generally, the ace of hearts is used to represent asexuals who feel romantic attraction. The ace of spades is used to represent aroaces and is sometimes used as an umbrella symbol for all ace-spec individuals. The ace of diamonds and aces of clubs are commonly associated with demisexuals and greysexuals, the ace of clubs is also sometimes used to represent individuals who are questioning where they fall on the asexual spectrum.

An older asexual symbol is the AVEN triangle, which uses a black-to-white gradient to represent the asexual spectrum, with white representing allosexuality and black representing asexuality.