This document provides information about asexuality and the asexual spectrum. It defines asexuality as a lack of sexual desire and discusses gray-asexuality and demisexuality. It also includes analogies to describe differences between asexual, celibate, and allosexual individuals. The document outlines terms related to sexuality and the asexual spectrum. It discusses the history of asexuality as an identity and raises awareness of aphobia that some asexual people face.

2. Asexuality is defined as “the lack of sexual desire”.
Personally, a quote I once found (can’t remember who said it, sadly D: )
to describe asexuality is “Some asexuals may feel horny, some may not.
Some asexuals may masterbate, others do not. However, we don’t feel
the intense urge to orgasm to go along with these feelings and actions.”

4. Chocolate analogy: © Isanda @ AVEN
“An ace person won’t eat chocolate because they don’t like the taste/texture,
a celibate person won’t eat chocolate because they want to loose weight,
have health problems, etc…”
Asexuals it’s not so much a choice for sex or sex-like activies. Another
anology could be comparing with a heterosexual man and/or woman. A
heterosexual man wouldn’t be interested in having sex with another man.
For asexuals, it’s the same type of deal with them not wanting to participate
in sex or sex-like activies.
Like many things, asexuality is a spectrum. The degrees of sexual desire
vary along the spectrum.

5. Gray aces can be defined as somewhere between no sexual desire, and
having sexual desire. The definition according to the AVEN wiki:
•do not normally experience sexual attraction, but do experience it
sometimes
•experience sexual attraction, but a low sex drive
•experience sexual attraction and drive, but not strongly enough to want
to act on them
•people who can enjoy and desire sex, but only under very limited and
specific circumstances

6. Demi aces (also known as deimsexual) is commonly defined as needing a
powerful/strnog emotional and/or psychological connection before
engaging or sex or sex-like activities. “One night stands” and “Friends
with benefits” is right out. Outside of relationships, their sexual desire is
non-existent.

7. •Allosexual: Someone who does not identify as an asexual
•Verisexual: (pronounced very-sexual) another term for people who are nonace, Veri means “truly”, has a general negative connotation to it within the ace
community
•Queerplatonic: Someone who feels an intense emotional connection to, but
does not mean they are romantically involved with someone, a partner in this
would be referred to as “zucchini”
•Libidoist: Someone who has a sex drive
•Non-Libidoist: someone who doesn’t have a sex drive
•Antisexual: Someone who believes sexuality is wrong and should be avoided,
this is a choice, not an orientation
•Hyposexual: Someone with a low sex drive
•Lithromantic: someone who wants to be in a romantic relationship, but only
have it be one sided

8. Black = Asexual
Gray = GrayAces and
DemiAces
White = Allosexual (nonAces)
Purple = Overall community

9. The black ring is often worn on the middle finger, of the right hand. The
middle finger ring often symbolizes
© Adrian on AVEN Wiki:
“…explanation being that: your right middle means "currently single", the
right ring means "currently taken" and since the left ring means
"taken/married" in a permanent sense, then the next logical conclusion
would be that left middle means "permanently single".

10. Click on the link below for the awesome timeline!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f26RtnCZepg/TfPR6O-sUPI/AAAAAAAAACs/OUS8rsMWWQw/s

11. •January 1994, study in UK finds that 1% of respondents (out of 18,000
people) to a sexual attraction survey “never felt any sexual attraction”
•“Haven for Human Amoeba” founded in October of 2000 on Yahoo,
asexual group
•March 2001, David Jay creates AVEN (asexual visibility education
network) while in college
•May 2002, AVEN moved to asexuality.org and forum was started
•January-April 2006, ABC’s The View, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN Tv
Broadcasts feature asexuality
•April 2007, MTV News “Young and Asexual” broadcasts
•June 2009, AVEN first paricipates in San Francisco Pride Parade
•August 2010, asexual flag selected

12. Asexual day is May 29
Asexual Awareness week is October 20-October 26
Asexual Visibility and Education day is October 12

14. Asexuals often have “two” orientations. One is their ace-ness
(wherever you fall on the spectrum). The other orientation is their
romantic orientation. Their romantic orientation refers to who they may
feel romantically attraction to. Allosexuals (non-aces) can also have
romantic orientations.
Below is a picture that shows many of the romantic orientations that
exist.
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/2013_05_SexualRomanticSpectrumWIDE.png

16. “Aphobia” does exist. Some common aphobic phrases:
“How do you know you don’t like sex if you’ve never tried it?”
“Celibacy is a choice”
“You only have low libido”
“Asexuals don’t have a closet to come out of, they’re lucky”
“So you’re just a special snowflake”
“You’re just immature about sex”

18. •Primary Sexual Attraction: A sexual attraction to people based on instantly available
information (such as their appearance or smell) which may or may not lead to arousal
or sexual desire.
•Secondary Sexual Attraction: A sexual attraction that develops over time based on a
person's relationship and emotional connection with another person.
•Primary Sexual Desire: The desire to engage in sexual activity for the purposes of
personal pleasure whether physical, emotional, or both.
•Secondary Sexual Desire: The desire to engage in sexual activity for the purposes
other than personal pleasure, such as the happiness of the other person involved or
the conception of children.

19. •“Asexuals United” Facebook, general information about asexuality
http://tinyurl.com/me7axlq
•“Demisexuality” Facebook, general information about demisexual
http://tinyurl.com/mhdh7bd
•“AVEN” Message board, a lot of general information about asexuality,
and has a large community base
http://tinyurl.com/l2kxf8
•“AVEN” Official Site
http://tinyurl.com/3aeuya
•Asexual PDF Frequently Asked Questions
http://tinyurl.com/mbl4b8n
•Huffington Post Articles
http://tinyurl.com/msyv6hr

20. Understanding
Asexuality
by A. F. Bogaert (2012)
book by a researcher
in the field of asexuality
studies

21. (A)sexual
by Angela Tucker
(2011)
Documentary,
available on Netflix

22. Asexuality: A Brief
Introduction
by Redbeard (2012)
book dedicated to talking
about asexuality as a sexual
orientation