Saturday 6 June 2015

Asexuality: The Serious Stuff

Out of all the sexualities, the one that seems to be the hardest to understand is asexual. In scientific terms, asexual beings are life forms that are able to reproduce with themselves, examples of this are plants, fungi and some forms of fish. However when referring to sexual orientation, the word takes up a new meaning.

In the LGBTQ community asexuality is a more of an umbrella term. Yes there are certainly people who identify as asexual, those without any sort of sexual attraction, though there are many different types.

There are variations of asexuality, in a spectrum. There is:
demisexual, - only feel sexual attraction after they've formed a strong emotional bond with someone
grey-asexual - very rarely experience sexual attraction though it still happens sometimes. An asexual can fall anywhere on the spectrum
lithsexual - feel sexual attraction towards others but do not want it reciprocated or lose interest when it is
cupiosexual - never or very rarely desires a relationship, even if attraction is felt
quoi-sexual - cannot differentiate between types of attraction (see below)
aro/ace-flux - fluctuates along the spectrum daily

Though it is important to note that sexual attraction isn't the only type, there are many reasons you may be attracted to someone.

platonic - the desire for friendship with a certain individual, also called a squish
aesthetic - finding someone's appearance attractive or pleasing to the eye, this type can occur on it’s own or with other attractions
romantic - desire for a romantic (but not sexual) relationship with someone, often coupled with sensual and/or sexual attraction
sensual - desire for sensual contact (hugging, cuddling, kissing, holding hands, etc) with someone, often coupled with romantic and/or sexual attraction

Asexual is not to be confused with aromantic, which is lack of romantic attraction. Aromantic is a type of romantic orientation, the romantic versions of sexualities. Similarly, there is also demiromantic, grey-aromantic, etc. 

The lack of sexual attraction doesn't mean that asexuals won’t engage in sexual activities. Yes, there are some asexuals that are completely repulsed by the idea of sex, but many aren't. Though their relationships are not built on sexual attraction, they will still have sex or other activities for their partner's sake. Also they may like having sex, cause it feels good, they just don’t base attraction on it.


A lot of the acephobia and general misconceptions asexuals have to put up with come from the media. So much of what we see is based around love or sex, focusing on the ideas that life without these things is worthless and sad, when for asexuals it is preferred. This means that a lot of asexuals who don't know who/what they are think that they are broken or that something is wrong with them. 

The TV show ‘Sirens’, which follows a team of Chicago EMTs, is one of the only shows I've seen that has an asexual character. It’s a big leap in asexual representation and I love it.



Asexuality is perfectly natural, and not feeling that sort of attraction is not wrong. Sex and relationships are pushed as such an imperative thing to life, especially when you're a teenager, but this simply isn't true. Relationships can be formed and sustained just as strongly without those desires, and the lack of sex does not invalidate them. Asexuality is completely valid, you are not broken. 

Sources:

2 comments:

  1. When it comes to relationships, women can use all the advice that they can get. Men can be difficult for women to understand and men think the same about women. When the two get together there is a definite need for relationship advice for women.see more at:-Life and Love Advice For Women

    ReplyDelete
  2. Many people who feel being on the top of the world during the period following the marriage suddenly feel grounded when they get a child. The birth of a child brings a lot of joy to the parents, no doubt. In fact, the arrival of a child in your life will add a new meaning to life, making your life more dynamic and more exciting.Read more:-Young couples advice

    ReplyDelete

 
Blogger Template By Designer Blogs