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Monday, July 12, 2021

Asexuality Among the Old and Young (Video 4:55)


                                                                      
Asexuality is a medically approved sexual orientation including about 1% of people who represent millions worldwide. Because you may have contact with them in any area of your life including your workplace, it's important to understand their concerns in adjusting to a predominantly heterosexual, sex-oriented society. While the behaviors of asexual people vary, they have the same emotional needs as everyone else. They may feel embarrassed, isolated or confused because they are different from the standard society conveys as normal sexuality. They are a diverse community with people experiencing relationships in various ways. This includes loving relationships in which they have no sexual attraction and are not trying to be abstinent or celibate. Emotional and romantic attractions are not the same as sexual attractions.

People often wrongly stereotype many older adults as being asexual simply because they are old. The reality is that older adult asexuals have never had any interest in sex or sexual attraction towards others. Because the media focus on asexuality emphasizes younger adults, older asexuals have more difficulty finding resources and supportive groups to share their concerns in an environment of acceptance. Fortunately, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) hosts the world's largest online asexual community and a large archive of resources that can benefit anyone interested in this topic. 

What were the probable concerns of older adults when they were young? In the following video titled "5 Asexual People Explain What "Asexual" Means to Them," young asexual people share their experiences and provide better understanding of asexual life in general.

                     


Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and ebook editions in America and other countries at online and  offline booksellers. Visit my website at http://www.francesshaniparker.com/.    

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for opening my mind to this category of attraction. While I had heard of asexuality, I thought it was quite rare and never heard the personal experiences of people living with it.

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  2. Thank you for sharing your comment. I believe many people are like you and just need more information to understand asexual people better. This understanding gives them more support in their adjustment to a society in which their sexual orientation is often misunderstood.

    ReplyDelete