Asexuality Matters (Research, Video 3:42)

I have written about asexuality several times on this blog as part of my efforts to feature people who are marginalized in society and in need of more support and understanding. For those who are not familiar with the term, asexuality refers to people who intrinsically have never had any interest in sex or sexual attraction to others. Asexuality, particularly regarding older adults, has only become scientifically researched as a sexual orientation in recent years. Research on asexuality concludes asexuality meets conditions for a sexual orientation. 

Like many in the LGBT population, asexuals  have unique issues adjusting to a predominantly heterosexual and sex-oriented society. Some have the need to “come out of the closet” and explain their identity in order for others to understand them better. Others may feel ashamed, isolated, or confused because they are different from the standard that society conveys as normal sexuality. They are a diverse community with people experiencing relationships in various ways. For example, some may have close relationships with sexual or asexual partners, although the asexual partners have no sexual attraction. Emotional and romantic attractions are not the same as sexual attraction.

Asexual older adults have more difficulty finding resources and supportive groups where they can share their concerns in an accepting environment. Fortunately, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) hosts the world's largest online asexual community and a large archive of resources on asexuality that can benefit anyone interested in this topic. 

Asexuals make up 1% of the adult population on earth. That's over seven billion people. The Asexuality Identification Scale (AIS) is a brief online questionnaire devised with the intention of "diagnosing" if a person is asexual or not. 

In following video, Dr. Jeff Daly, a psychologist explains what asexuality is and isn’t.

You can view another blog post of mine on asexuality that includes research on biological markers of asexuals and a video featuring Dan Savage, sex columnist, with asexuals sharing their experiences here.

Frances Shani Parker, Author

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