Asexual gay
I spend a lot of time in both asexual and gay communities. Specifically, I’ve participated in gender non-conforming college student groups and have lots of same-sex attracted male friends in their 20s/30s on the U.S. west coast. Based on these experiences, as limited as they are, I wish to share a few striking differences. This is not an strive to critique either asexual or gay communities but an attempt to know ourselves.
1. One asexual society, many gay communities
One period someone asked me, “Where is the main bi-curious website?” They expected there would be a fluid equivalent of AVEN! Nope.
In the past, people possess complained when I’ve referred to the asexual society in the singular rather than the plural. I think whether you phone it “the community” or “communities” is arbitrary. But there is definitely a sense in which the asexual community is more unified than the queer male community. With queer men, they have their circles of friends, and they might participate in local community events. Some participate in national activist organizations and dating websites, but these don’t really provide a unified community.
But since asexu
What does asexuality/asexual mean?
In the simplest of terms someone who is asexual is someone who does not experience sexual attraction.
This means that they don’t trial that feeling of looking at a person and thinking ‘I’d like to possess sex with them.’
It’s important to mention that a sudden loss in sexual drive if you’ve previously felt sexual attraction could be a reaction to medication, a convert in your mental health or something else. This can happen to anyone and if this does happen, you can chat to your doctor about what’s going on and figure things out.
Does that mean asexual people don’t imagine anyone else?
Some asexual people experience attraction, but don’t sense that they wish to act on that attraction sexually. This is acknowledged as romantic attraction, where they yearn to get to know somebody and do romantic things. What those quixotic things are depends on each person – it could include going on dates, holding hands or cuddling.
Asexual people can also distinguish as gay, female homosexual, bisexual or direct depending on who they feel attraction to.
Other asexual people don’t experience any sexual or passionate attraction to
LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary
GLOSSARY
The terms and definitions below are always evolving, changing and often imply different things to different people. They are provided below as a starting point for discussion and understanding. This Glossary has been collectively built and created by the staff members of the LGBTQIA Resource Center since the early 2000s.
These are not universal definitions. This glossary is provided to help give others a more thorough but not entirely comprehensive understanding of the significance of these terms. You may even consider asking someone what they mean when they use a term, especially when they use it to portray their identity. Ultimately it is most important that each individual define themselves for themselves and therefore also define a designation for themselves.
“If I didn't explain myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” -Audre Lorde
This glossary contains terms, such as ableism and disability, that may not be considered directly related to identities of sexuality or gender. These terms are important to admit as part of our mission to challenge all forms of oppress
Why aromantic and asexual people belong in LGBTQIA+ community
Jennifer Pollitt is an assistant professor and assistant director of the Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program. In addition to teaching, she lectures and facilitates workshops for both academic and professional audiences, including co-founding Empathy A Labor, LLC, and organizing the Men & #MeToo Conference in Philadelphia. She has developed comprehensive sexuality curricula used by the American Medical Association and other universities. She also belongs to the nation’s oldest and largest legal lobbying group that fights for the civil rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals and those who live with HIV. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she is a powerful ally of asexuals and aromantics and we asked her to share her knowledge of these lesser-known identities that fall under the queer umbrella.
We spoke with Pollitt about what asexuals and aromantics can coach others about connection, why they involve in the LGBTQIA+ community, and why they are so often left behind in LGBTQIA+ discourse.
Temple Now: Two of the more recently recognized identities within the LGBTQIA+ acronym are asexual and aromantic. Can you des