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Changes: Achillean

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{{Infobox
  
{{Infobox
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| image = Achillean Flag.svg
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| image = Asexual Flag.svg
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| caption = The flag commonly associated with achillean.
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| caption = The asexual pride flag
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| altname = Ace
 
| term = [[Sexual orientation]]
  
| term = [[Sexual orientation]]
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| spectrum =
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| spectrum = [[Asexual spectrum]]
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| gender = *Any
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| gender = Any
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| attracted = * Men
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| attracted = No one {{C|sexually}}
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| attractedtype = None {{C|sexually}}
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* Men-aligned
  
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| attractedtype = Any
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| romance =
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| different = [[Gay men]]
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| different = *[[Aromantic]]
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*[[Demisexual]]
 
}}
  
}}
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'''Asexual''' refers to people who do not experience sexual attraction toward others.<ref name="AVEN: General FAQ">{{Cite_web |url=https://www.asexuality.org/?q=general.html |title=General FAQ |author=[[Asexual Visibility and Education Network]] |work=[https://www.asexuality.org Asexual Visibility and Education Network] |archivedate=20220108051710}}</ref> They may experience other forms of attraction, such as romantic, sensual, or aesthetic attraction. '''Asexuality''' is a [[sexual orientation]],<ref name="AVEN: Overview">{{Cite_web |url=https://www.asexuality.org/?q=overview.html |title=Overview |author=[[Asexual Visibility and Education Network]] |work=[https://www.asexuality.org Asexual Visibility and Education Network] |archivedate=20211217031222}}</ref> not a [[gender identity]], behavior, or medical condition. Some asexual people choose to engage in sexual activities for various reasons despite not experiencing sexual feelings and desire toward any particular person.<ref name="TLP: Asexual">{{Cite_web |url=https://translanguageprimer.com/asexual |title=Asexual |author=[[The Trans Language Primer]] |work=[https://translanguageprimer.com The Trans Language Primer] |archivedate=20211028100925}}</ref> Asexuality is part of the '''[[asexual spectrum]]''' (abbreviated "ace spectrum"), an [[umbrella term]] and a broad community of identities that are closely related to asexuality when placed on a spectrum ranging from asexual to sexual.<ref name="AVEN: General FAQ" />
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'''Achillean''' refers to anyone who is attracted to other men and man-aligned people.{{#tag:ref|{{Man-aligned}}|group = note}} This describes all [[sexual orientation]]s in which one is attracted to men or man-aligned people, serving as an [[umbrella term]] for people who are [[gay]], [[pansexual]], [[bisexual]], [[queer]], or other sexualities in which anyone identifying as those orientations may be attracted to men and man-aligned people.
 
   
 
==Etymology==
  
==Etymology==
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The term 'asexual' comes from the negation prefix ''a-'', meaning 'not' or 'without', with the word 'sexual'. It was initially used to describe biological organisms that had no sex organs or reproduction without sex.<ref name="Dictionary">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/asexual|title=Asexual Definition & Meaning|author=Dictionary.com}}</ref> Its use as a label was popularized by [[Alfred Kinsey]] in his Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale (the [[Kinsey scale]]), with X being used to denote people who did not engage in sexual behaviors.<ref name="Kinsey Institute">{{Cite web|url=https://kinseyinstitute.org/research/publications/kinsey-scale.php|title=Prevalence of Homosexuality study|author=Kinsey Institute}}</ref>
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The term "achillean" refers to the Greek hero [[Wikipedia:Achilles|Achilles]]. Its 21st century use to describe sexualities is modelled after the term "[[sapphic]]", which is used to describe anyone who is attracted to women.<ref name="UWM: Glossary">{{Cite_web|url=https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/glossary-of-terms|title=Glossary of Terms|author=[https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Resource Center]|archivedate=20211118184540}}</ref>
  
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==Community==
  
==Community==
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The asexual community is small but growing.<ref name="Lighthouse">{{Cite web|url=https://blog.lighthouse.lgbt/asexual-community-growing-heres-need-know|title=The Asexual Community is Growing – Here's What You Need To Know|author=Lighthouse: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care|work=[https://blog.lighthouse.lgbt The Lighthouse Blog]}}</ref> Asexuality is part of the [[asexual spectrum]] and has been broadly categorized, along with [[aromantic]]ism, as part of the [[a-spec]](trum).<ref name="AW">{{Cite web|url=https://aroworlds.com/allo-aro/allo-aro-friendly-a-spec-terminology/|title=Allo-Aro Friendly A-Spec Terminology|author=Cook, K.|publisher=Aro Worlds|accessdate=January 22, 2022}}</ref> The asexual community has close ties to the aromantic community due to their commonalities. The community of people who are both asexual and aromantic is known as the aroace community.<ref name="AW" /><ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://acesandaros.org/about|author=[https://aceandaros.org Ace & Aros]|title=About}}</ref>
   
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Members of the asexual community have noted that "asexual identities make explicit a romantic dimension of sexuality as distinct from a sexual identity based on lack of sexual attraction" as compared with non-asexual identities. In researched cases, this resulted in greater emphasis being put on an individuals' sexual and [[romantic orientation]] as contrasted with [[Allosexual|non-asexual]] peers.<ref name="NCBI">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2893352|title=Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire|author=Scherrer, Kristin|publisher=National Center for Biotechnology Information|date=2008-10-01}}</ref>
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=== History ===
  
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Achilles himself is a famous figure in Greek mythology. In relation to sexuality, Achilles had a relationship with another character, [[Wikipedia:Patroclus|Patroclus]], that is said to have romantic connotations. In [[Wikipedia:Homer|Homer']]s ''[[Wikipedia:Iliad|Iliad]]'', in which their relationship plays a crucial part in the story, Achilles described Patroclus as being the "man I loved beyond all other comrades, loved as my own life." After Homer's iteration, the relationship between the two men was depicted as a love affair.<ref name="Who Was Achilles?">{{Cite_web|url=https://blog.britishmuseum.org/who-was-achilles|title=Who was Achilles?|work=[https://blog.britishmuseum.org/who-was-achilles The British Museum Blog]}}</ref>
  
   
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Asexuals challenge the idea that sex is the best, easiest, or only route to achieving intimacy or connections with others. The experiences of asexuals call into question normative assumptions about the relationships between sex, physical closeness, romantic experience, and interpersonal intimacy, demonstrating there are a variety of ways to create meaningful intimate bonds with others that do not focus on sex or even necessarily on romantic connections.<ref name="ETR">{{Cite_print |author=Andrea Miller, Brandy L. Simula, J.E. Sumerau |title=Expanding the Rainbow: Exploring the Relationships of Bi+, Polyamorous, Kinky, Ace, Intersex, and Trans People |publisher=Brill |date=2019 |isbn=9789004414105}}</ref>
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[[Wikipedia:Theocritus|Theocritus']] ''Idyll'' XXIX, a love poem from a man to a boy, includes a phrase addressing their future: ''"ἀλλάλοισι πελώμεθ' Ἀχιλλέιοι φίλοι"'' (''alláloisi pelómeth' Achilléioi fíloi''). It has received loose poetic translations from the [[Wikipedia:Aeolic Greek|Aeolic Greek]] dialect into English, such as "we'll be Achilles and his friend,"<ref name="Theocritus: Edmonds">{{Cite_print|author=Translated by J. M. Edmonds|titlepart=Idyll XXIX|title=The Greek Bucolic Poets|publisher=The Loeb Classical Library|date=1912|url=https://www.theoi.com/Text/TheocritusIdylls5.html#29}}</ref> "we may be to one another as Achilles and his friend" with the meaning noted as "such friends as were Achilles and Patroclus,"<ref name="Theocritus: Gow">{{Cite_print|author=Translated by A. S. F. Gow|titlepart=Idyll XXIX|title=Theocritus|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=1950}}</ref> and "be friends to each other like Achilles and Patroclus;" however, the literal translation is "be Achillean friends to each other."<ref name="Theocritus: Hopkinson">{{Cite_print|author=Translated by Neil Hopkinson|titlepart=Idyll XXIX|title=Theocritus, Moschus, Bion|publisher=Harvard University Press|date=2015|ISBN=9780674996441|url=https://www.loebclassics.com/view/theocritus-poems_i-xxx/2015/pb_LCL028.399.xml}} The full lines containing the phrase are translated and annotated by Hopkinson as: "You should think of this and be pleasanter toward me, and love me as guilelessly as I love you, so that when you are a man<sup>''(Lit. "when you have a manly cheek," i.e. a beard.)''</sup> we may be friends to each other like Achilles and Patroclus.<sup>''(Lit., "be Achillean friends to each other.")''</sup>"</ref>
  
   
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There are many key signs that someone might be asexual; however, asexuality is a spectrum, and not all of these will apply to all asexual people:<ref name="Slice">{{Cite web|url=https://www.slice.ca/10-signs-you-are-probably-asexual/|title=10 Signs You’re Probably Asexual}}</ref>
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The word "Achillean" has historically been used to describe all things relating to the aforementioned Achilles. An early use of the term in English to describe sexuality was in [[Wikipedia:John Addington Symonds|John Addington Symonds']]s 1883 book ''A Problem in Greek Ethics'' (chapters III and X). Symonds (1840 – 1893), an English author and advocate of male love, spoke about the "''Achilleian'' friendship" as an ideal of manly love, devoid of effeminacy, emphasizing that the love between [[Wikipedia:Achilles and Patroclus|Achilles and Patroclus]] had, as its most important aspects, loyalty and mutual goodwill. The "''Achilleian'' friendship", which for him was synonymous with Greek heroism and [[Wikipedia:Greek love|Greek love]] (heroic male-male love), would have ended with the defeat of the hitherto invincible [[Wikipedia:Sacred Band of Thebes|Sacred Band of Thebes]], which was composed of 150 pairs of male lovers, against the army of [[Wikipedia:Philip II of Macedon|Philip II of Macedon.]] However, Philip's young son and heir [[Wikipedia:Alexander the Great|Alexander the Great]] sought to revive it when he and his lover [[Wikipedia:Hephaestion|Hephaestion]] ran naked around the joint tomb of Achilles and Patroclus in Troy to honor their heroes:<ref name="Symonds">{{Cite_print|title=A Problem in Greek Ethics|author=Symonds, John Addington|date=1883}}</ref>
  
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*No interest in sex or intimacy<ref name="Slice"></ref>
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<blockquote>"At [[Wikipedia:Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC)|Chaeronea]], Greek liberty, Greek heroism, and Greek love, properly so-called, expired. It is not unworthy of notice that the son of the conqueror, young Alexander, endeavoured to revive the tradition of Achilleian friendship. [...] Homer was his invariable companion upon his marches; in the Troad he paid special honour to the tomb of Achilles, running naked races round the barrow in honour of the hero [...]. The historians of his life relate that, while he was indifferent to women, he was madly given to the love of males. This the story of his sorrow for Hephaistion sufficiently confirms."<ref name="Symonds" /></blockquote>
  
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*Finding others attractive, but not being attracted to them<ref name="TC">{{Cite web|url=https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2019/01/asexual/|title=10 Signs You Are Asexual — Someone Who Does Not Experience Sexual Attraction|author=January Nelson}}</ref>
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See also A.C. Hamilton's 1959 article titled, "Spenser's Treatment of Myth":
  
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*Enjoying hugging/kissing, but don't want to take things further<ref name="TC" />
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<blockquote>"Guyon subdues these Achillean affections through his own power; but they break out again as Cymochles lapses into lust and Pyrochles burns in the idle lake."<ref>{{Cite print|author=A. C. Hamilton|title=Spenser's Treatment of Myth|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|number=Published in ELH, Vol. 26, No. 3|date=September, 1959|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2871792?origin=crossref}}</ref></blockquote>
  
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*Finding sex scenes boring<ref name="TC" />
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===Flag===
  
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[[File:Achillean Flag.svg|thumb|left|250px|A simple version of the achillean flag, designed by DeviantArt user Pride-Flags.]]
  
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In ancient Rome and 19th century England, green indicated gay affiliations. Victorian men would often pin a green carnation on their lapel, as popularized by author Oscar Wilde.<ref name="Shakespeare">{{Cite web |url=https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/the-fairest-flowers-o-the-season-are-the-carnations-illustrations-of-carnations-in-rare-and-early-printed-books/ |title=The Fairest Flowers |archivedate=20211214175818}}</ref>
  
   
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===History===
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The first iteration of the achillean flag was created by Tumblr user pridenpositivity in 2016.<ref>[https://archive.is/hIjCa Archived Tumblr post announcing the achillean flag.]</ref> This this version was later redesigned by DeviantArt user Pride-Flags on October 5, 2016.<ref>[https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Achillean-638170749 DeviantArt post with the current achillean flag.]</ref>
  
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====Early 20th century====
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Because modern asexual organizing has largely happened on the internet, some commentators have defined asexuality as the first "internet orientation." However, explicit references to the asexual identity can be traced back to the early 20th century. One of the first modern gay activists in the U.S., [[Carl Schlegel]], issued pleas for queer equality that specifically invoked asexuality in a speech composed in 1907. The famous sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld also used the term in “The Role of Homosexual Men and Women in Society” in 1920.<ref name="Slate">{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/03/asexuality-history-internet-identity-queer-archive.html|title=Finding Asexuality in the Archives|author=Michael Waters}}</ref>
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====1950s-1970s====
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Fast-forward half a century, and the emerging literature on queer identity made frequent references to asexuality. In 1952, the magazine Transvestia used the term "asexual", and in 1965 published a short description of what it termed the “A-sexual Range”, perhaps an early prototype of the asexual spectrum. Many feminist conferences in the 1970s let people choose a label for their sexual identity, and asexual was one of the options.<ref name="Slate" />
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Illinois State University professor Ela Przybylo, in her book Asexual Erotics, highlighted a feminist effort in the 1960s and 1970s to swear off sex. The rise of these sexual critiques inspired one feminist, Lisa Orlando, to publish “The Asexual Manifesto” in 1972. Although Orlando’s interpretation of asexuality is largely framed as a political reaction to the patriarchy, she does mention avoiding sex and feeling her need for sex to diminish, as well as seeing sex as a way of avoiding closeness rather than achieving it. “The Asexual Manifesto" struck a chord with people who more closely matched today’s understanding of asexuality, and even prompted the gay liberationist Greg Turner to cite it in a 1976 essay outlining his search for an identity label. <ref name="Slate" />
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In 1971, the Village Voice published what it intended to be a parody article titled “Asexuals Have Problems Too!,” but the article prompted a flurry of letters to the newspaper and suggested a widespread curiosity about asexual identity. Soon after, queer zines began making occasional references to asexual identity.<ref name="Slate" /> In the ’80s and ’90s, punk zines that surveyed their readers accounted for the asexual demographic. Also in the ’90s, asexual people began exploring their identities themselves in riot grrrl zines. There are likely more than 100 zines either wholly focused on or containing discussion of the ace umbrella, and these zines paved the way for the recognition of asexuality as a distinct sexual identity.<ref name="Them">{{Cite web|url=https://www.them.us/story/asexual-zines|title=How Zines Paved the Way for Asexual Recognition|author=Julie Kliegman}}</ref>
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====1990s to present====
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Most asexual people credit writer Zoe O’Reilly’s 1997 essay, “My life as an amoeba,” with creating the first contemporary asexual community. Before O’Reilly’s piece was published on the now-defunct website StarNet Dispatches.<ref name="TO">{{Cite web|url=https://theoutline.com/post/5065/tumblr-asexual-history-bloggers-ace-historical|title=The Tumblr bloggers building a canon of asexual history|author=Michael Waters}}</ref>
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Four years later, in October 2000, a Yahoo! Group “Haven for the Human Amoeba” was established as place where asexual people could find each other online. However, the biggest breakthrough for the community came in March 2001, when a freshman at Wesleyan University named David Jay launched what is today called the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). It is a website, wiki, and forum that has connected thousands of asexual people across the world.<ref name="TO" />
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====Ace Week====
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Ace Week, formerly known as Asexual Awareness Week, was founded by Sara Beth Brooks in 2010 with the help of AVEN founder David Jay. It takes place annually the final week of October, and its purpose is to spread educational materials, organize community events, and discuss asexual experiences.<ref name="AWO">{{Cite web|url=https://aceweek.org/stories/about-ace-week|title=What is Ace Week?}}</ref>
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The very first Ace Week was mostly conducted online through blogging and social media activity. As part of the campaign to increase asexual awareness within the LGBTQ+ community, members of the asexual community created one minute "Dear LGBT Community" video letters to share on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Asexuals were also encouraged to share information and experiences on social media, change their profile pictures, and start conversations about being asexual both online and off.<ref name="AWH">{{Cite web|url=https://aceweek.org/stories/the-history-of-ace-week|title=The History of Ace Week}}</ref>
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Ace Week took a huge leap forward in 2011. Sara Beth formed a 20-person committee that planned and collaborated on the project over the course of 6 months. In addition to focusing on the LGBTQ+ community, the second Ace Week targeted mass media, educational organizations, medical professionals, and sex-positive communities.<ref name="AWH" />
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Many traditions have developed in celebration of Ace Week, including the Fandom Challenge, which first took place in 2014. On each day of Ace Week, the Fandom Challenge sets out a prompt designed to initiate discussions on social media about canon and headcanon asexual characters.<ref name="AWH" />
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===Flag===
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The asexual pride flag was voted on by the [[Asexual Visibility and Education Network]] (AVEN) in 2010. It is composed of four horizontal stripes from top to bottom in the colors black, grey, white, and purple. The colors have the following meanings:<ref name="AVEN: Asexual Flag: And the winner is">{{Cite_web|url=https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/53435-asexual-flag-and-the-winner-is|title=Asexual Flag: And the winner is ...|work=[[Asexual Visibility and Education Network]]|archivedate=20211215072417}}</ref>
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*'''Black:''' Asexuals<ref name="AVEN: Asexual Flag: And the winner is" />
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*'''Grey:''' [[Demisexual]]s and grayasexuals<ref name="AVEN: Asexual Flag: And the winner is" />
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*'''White:''' Sexuals,<ref name="AVEN: Asexual Flag: And the winner is" /> as in [[Allosexual|non-asexual]] partners and [[Ally|allies]]<ref name="asexualityarchive">{{Cite_web|url=https://www.asexualityarchive.com/the-asexuality-flag|title=The Asexuality Flag|date=2012-02-20|work=[https://www.asexualityarchive.com Asexuality Archive]|archivedate=20211128030358}}</ref>
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*'''Purple:''' The community<ref name="AVEN: Asexual Flag: And the winner is" />
   
 
===Distinction===
  
===Distinction===
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====Gay====
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====Aromantic====
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{{Main|Gay}}
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{{Main|Aromantic}}
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Aromantic (or "aro") people do not experience romantic attraction toward others. Some aromantic people experience sexual attraction, while others are both aromantic and asexual.<ref name="A-Z">{{Cite_print |author=Holleb, Morgan Lev Edward |title=The A-Z of Gender and Sexuality: From Ace to Ze |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |date=2019 |isbn=9781784506636}}</ref>
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The word "achillean" is often confused for the term [[gay]] or is wrongly perceived to have the same meaning. However, gay describes a sexuality with attraction exclusively to people of the same gender. Achillean encompasses all people who are attracted to men, including people who are also attracted to other genders in addition to men, such as people who may be bisexual, pansexual, queer, or other sexualities.<ref name="UWM: Glossary" />
  
   
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====Celibacy and abstinence====
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==Resources==
  
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Asexuality is not the same as celibacy or abstinence, which are choices to not engage in sexual behavior based on reasons that are not related to sexual attraction. People who abstain from sex may experience sexual attraction and choose not to act upon it, and they may change their minds and become sexually active.<ref name="TLP: Asexual" /> Asexuality is not a personal choice that can be changed; it is an orientation. Someone who chooses to practice celibacy, whether for personal or religious beliefs, is not necessarily asexual. Some asexuals may abstain from sex, while others have sex for various reasons, such as the desire to have children or for intimacy with a partner.<ref name="AVEN: General FAQ" />
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*[https://lgbt.appstate.edu/lgbt-identities-and-sexualities LGBT Online Resource: Terms, Culture, Definitions]
  
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*[https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/glossary-of-terms/ Glossary of terms]
  
   
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Asexuality is not inceldom ("involuntary celibacy"), an online subculture that is associated with misogyny.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/18/11-asexuality-myths-and-misconceptions-debunked-by-an-asexual-15789022/|title=11 asexuality myths and misconceptions debunked by an asexual|author=Michele Theil|work=Metro|date=2021-12-18|accessdate=2022-04-18}}</ref>
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==Notes==
  
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<references group="note" />
  
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====Demisexual====
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{{Main|Demisexual}}
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Although demisexuality is on the asexual spectrum, it is different from asexuality itself. Asexual people do not experience sexual attraction, regardless of how close they are with someone, whereas demisexual people can and ''do'' experience sexual attraction, but only after a close bond is formed with another person.<ref name="Unwritten: Demisexuality">{{Cite web|url=https://www.readunwritten.com/2017/09/27/facts-need-know-asexuality-vs-demisexuality/|title=The Only Facts You Need To Know About Asexuality Vs. Demisexuality|publisher=Unwritten}}</ref>
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====Nonlibidoist and hyposexual====
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Nonlibidoist refers to a person who does not experience sexual urges/desires or masturbate.<ref name="AT">{{Cite web|url=https://asexualitytrust.org.nz/what-is-asexuality/attraction-vs-arousal/|title=Sexual attraction vs. arousal}}</ref> This differs from asexual in that asexual people can still experience sexual arousal, but not attraction. Although some asexual people simply ignore feelings of sexual arousal, others may masturbate in response or seek out sex for the physical pleasure.<ref name="HP">{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/suzi-godson/asexual-women-ten-things-to-know_b_6231232.html|title=Ten Things You Need to Know Before You Tell an Asexual Woman She Hasn't Met the Right Person Yet|author=Suzi Godson}}</ref>
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Hyposexuality, unlike asexuality, is a disorder, and is characterized by a reduced libido and difficulty becoming sexually aroused.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/hyposexuality-what-causes-symptoms-asexuality-difference-meaning-types-a8355786.html|title=What is hyposexuality and how is it different to asexuality?|author=Olivia Petter|work=The Independent|date=2018-05-17|accessdate=2022-04-18}}</ref>
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===Perceptions and discrimination===
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====Dehumanization====
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Although further research is needed, asexual people may be the target of more prejudice, avoidance, and discrimination relative to cisgender and heterosexual people, and possibly to cisgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Asexual people have been perceived as experiencing fewer human emotions and dehumanized by being characterized as both "machine-like" and "animal-like."<ref name="Galop">{{Cite web|url=https://galop.org.uk/resource/acephobia-and-anti-asexual-hate-crime/|title=Acephobia and anti-asexual hate crime}}</ref><ref name="RU">{{Cite web|url=https://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1418&context=hwlj|title=Corrective Rape: An Extreme Manifestation of Discrimination and the State ’s Complicity in Sexual Violence|author=Sarah Doan-Minh}}</ref>
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====Exclusion====
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Asexual people can face prejudice from within the LGBTQ+ community, such as being refused entry to LGBTQ+ spaces, receiving inappropriate treatment from LGBTQ+ services, or being excluded from the LGBTQ+ umbrella.<ref name="Galop" /> One belief is that the inclusion of asexuals and aromantics in the community will cause others to lose access to needed resources.<ref name="Temple">{{Cite web|url=https://news.temple.edu/news/2021-07-06/why-aromantic-and-asexual-people-belong-lgbtqia-community|title=Why aromantic and asexual people belong in LGBTQIA+ community}}</ref>
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====Myths====
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There are a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to asexuality. It does not necessarily mean having an aversion to sex<ref name="WebMD: Asexual">{{Cite web|url=https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-is-asexual|title=What Is Asexual?|publisher=WebMD}}</ref> or fear of sex, although some asexuals do. A common myth is that people "become" asexual after either being sexually rejected or sexually abused. Asexuality is a natural orientation that is generally unrelated to traumatic experiences a person may have suffered. Some asexual people may experience changes in their desire or attraction due to trauma, but trauma and mental health are not exclusive and decisive "causes" of asexuality or other sexual orientations. Some asexuals may know their orientation from an early age, while others may not discover they are asexual until after one or more sexual experiences.<ref name="WebMD: Asexual" /><ref name="OUL">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oulgbtq.org/acearo-mythbusting.html|title=Ace/Aro Mythbusting}}</ref>
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Another myth is that asexuality is caused by a hormone deficiency. Asexual people who have their hormone levels tested are generally found to be within normative ranges. Some asexuals have received hormone therapy for reasons unrelated to their sexuality, but they have not reported changes in their sexual orientation. Available evidence does not support the conclusion that asexuality is caused by hormone imbalances or deficient sex drives.<ref name="OUL" />
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====Assaults and abuse====
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{{Warning|title=Trigger warning|text=This section discusses forms of assault and abuse, including sexual, that target asexual people. Reader discretion is advised or skip to [[Asexual#Media|the next section]].}}
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Many asexual individuals report experiencing sexual harassment and violence, including corrective rape, designed to eradicate their asexuality.<ref name="Galop" /> In the 2015 asexual community census, a volunteer-run project, 43.5% of nearly 8,000 asexuals surveyed reported having experienced some form of sexual violence.<ref name="BFN">{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jmkliegman/asexuality-sexual-assault-harassment-me-too|title=When You’re An Asexual Assault Survivor, It’s Even Harder To Be Heard|author=Julie Kliegman}}</ref> These crimes occur because people see asexuality as a "challenge", and they believe they can "change the person's mind" or "fix their orientation".<ref name="RU" />
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Asexuals frequently experience verbal abuse and violence from neighbors or strangers, in person or online.<ref name="Galop" /> This can include:
  +
*Saying there is something "wrong" with the victim or that the victim is "broken" because they are asexual<ref name="WL">{{Cite web|url=https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/abuse-specific-communities/lgbtqia-victims/forms-abuse/what-forms-abuse-are-unique-1|title=What forms of abuse are unique to asexual victims?}}</ref>
  +
*Telling the victim that something is "wrong" with their body, and that is why they are asexual<ref name="WL" />
  +
*Mocking the victim's body or making the victim feel bad about their body responding or not responding to sexual acts<ref name="WL"></ref>
  +
*Telling the victim that they are asexual or are confused about being asexual because no one wants to have a relationship or sex with them<ref name="WL" />
  +
*Threatening to tell the victim's friends, family, or coworkers about their asexuality without their permission<ref name="WL" />
  +
*Stopping or forbidding the victim from speaking to other asexual people, talking about asexuality, or attending in-person or online support groups for asexual people<ref name="WL" />
  +
  +
Many asexual people are wary of coming out because they fear they may face interrogation from people who don't believe them.<ref name="BFN" />
  +
  ⚫
==Media==
  +
===Literature===
  +
* Kerewin, from Keri Hulme's 1986 ''The Bone People'', is asexual, and uses the word to refer to herself.<ref>http://www.postcolonialweb.org/nz/kerihulme/kh6.html</ref>
  +
*[https://aliceoseman.fandom.com/wiki/Tori_Spring Tori Spring] from ''[https://aliceoseman.fandom.com/wiki/Heartstopper Heartstopper]'' and ''[https://aliceoseman.fandom.com/wiki/Solitaire Solitaire],'' is asexual and aromantic. The creator of both series, Alice Oseman, stated on her Tumblr blog that Tori identifies as straight in ''Solitaire'', but is "actually on the aro/ace spectrums". This seems to reflect how Alice herself was straight at the time of writing ''Solitaire'', but then came out later as aroace.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tumblr.com/chronicintrovert/641772252636037120/hi-so-i-just-wanted-to-say-that-as-an-aro-ace|title=alice oseman on Tumblr|author=chronicintrovert|quote=Tori canonically identifies as straight in Solitaire, but I personally think she is actually on the aro/ace spectrums (I also thought I was straight when I wrote that book, then later of course discovered I was aroace haha)}}</ref>
  +
  +
===Television/Animated===
  +
* [[w:c:spongebob:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|SpongeBob]] from [[w:c:spongebob:SpongeBob SquarePants (series)|''SpongeBob SquarePants'']]<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/spongebob-asexual-not-gay-creator/|title=SpongeBob's Asexual, Not Gay}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:everythings-gonna-be-okay:Drea|Drea]] from [[w:c:everythings-gonna-be-okay:Everything's Gonna Be Okay|''Everything's Gonna Be Okay'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/everythings-gonna-be-okay-asexuality-tv-josh-thomas-1234974224/|title=Everything's Gonna Be Okay Asexuality}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:sexeducation:Florence|Florence]] from [[w:c:sexeducation:Sex Education|''Sex Education'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOxOiC1fT_8|title=Asexuality. Sex Education clip}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:generation:Greta Moreno|Greta Moreno]] from [[w:c:generation:Generation|''Genera+ion'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://ew.com/tv/zelda-barnz-generation-cancellation-finale-burning-questions-chester/|title=Genera+ion co-creator responds to show's cancellation, answers most-asked finale questions}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:emmerdale:Liv Flaherty|Liv Flaherty]] from [[w:c:emmerdale:Emmerdale|''Emmerdale'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyl0sfAYWkY|title=Liv tells Mandy she's asexual}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:shadowhunterstv:Raphael Santiago|Raphael Santiago]] from [[w:c:shadowhunterstv:Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments|''Shadowhunters'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/506200230615064576|title=Tweet from Cassandra Clare}}</ref><ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2017/03/07/shadowhunters-confirms-raphael-asexual-stays-canon-book-series/|title=Shadowhunters confirms Raphael asexual}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:bojackhorseman:Todd Chavez|Todd Chavez]] from [[w:c:bojackhorseman:Bojack Horseman (series)|''Bojack Horseman'']].<ref name="Bustle">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/todds-asexuality-on-bojack-horseman-isnt-a-perfect-depiction-but-its-made-me-feel-understood-12057178|title=Todd's Asexuality On 'BoJack' Isn't A Perfect Depiction, But It's Made Me Feel Understood|author=Kliegman, Julie|date=2018-09-27|publisher=Bustle}}</ref>
  +
* Valentina "Voodoo" Dunacci from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirens_%282014_TV_series%29 ''Sirens''].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNt-o6VkJGI|title=Sirens 1.06 Asexuality}}</ref>
  +
*[https://theowlhouse.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith_Clawthorne Lilith Clawthorne] from [https://theowlhouse.fandom.com/wiki/The_Owl_House_Wiki The Owl House].<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQxEx_rVEO/</ref>
  +
* [https://anightmareonelmstreet.fandom.com/wiki/Nancy_Thompson_(A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_film_series) Nancy Thompson] from [https://anightmareonelmstreet.fandom.com/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_(1984_film) ''A Nightmare on Elm Street''].<ref>https://youtu.be/c10CI50Ft4c timestamp 13:53</ref>
  +
*[https://phineasandferb.fandom.com/wiki/Perry_the_Platypus Perry The Platypus] from [https://phineasandferb.fandom.com/wiki/Phineas_and_Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb''].{{Source}}
  +
*[https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Peridot Peridot] from [https://steven-universe.fandom.com/f Steven Universe]<ref>https://twitter.com/rnn_tweet/status/1237596056746987520</ref>
  +
  +
===Comic books===
  +
* [[w:c:dc:Connor Hawke (Prime Earth)|Connor Hawke]] from [[w:c:dc::DC Comics|''DC Comics'']]<ref name="Connor">{{Cite_print |author=Stein, Ro and Brandt, Ted |titlepart=Think of Me |title=DC Pride 2022 |publisher=DC Comics |date=2022-06-08 }}</ref>
  +
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(Yelena_Belova) Yelena Belova] from ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics Marvel Comics]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/marvel-comics-characters-didnt-know-lgbqt/|title=Marvel: 10 Characters You Didn't Know Were LGBTQ+|author=Benten, Emma|date=20-07-2021|publisher=Screen Rant|archivedate=20221017014343}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/writer-devin-grayson-on-natasha-romanoff-yelena-belova-and-the-history-of-black-widow|title=Writer Devin Grayson on Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova, and the History of 'Black Widow'|author=Morse, Ben|date=27-05-2020|publisher=Marvel|archivedate=20221013222406|quote=Yelena is in some ways less cynical about her ability to change the world than Nat is, less hampered by association with highly principled associates, and probably more likely to identify as asexual than to follow Nat’s romantic path—but that’s the central tension between the two characters.}}</ref>
  +
* [[w:c:archiecomics:Jughead Jones|Jughead Jones]] from the [[w:c:archiecomics:Archie Comics|''Archie Comics'']].<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://comicbook.com/news/chip-zdarsky-opens-up-about-jughead/|title=Chip Zdarsky opens up about Jughead}}</ref>
  +
  +
===Other people===
  +
* Yasmin Benoit, an aromantic and asexual model and activist who co-founded [https://internationalasexualityday.org/en International Asexuality Day].<ref name="Glamour UK">{{Cite_web|url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/asexuality-and-aromanticism|title=People think I must be unlovable, fussy or mentally ill. Here's what it really means to be asexual and aromantic|author=Pantony, Ali|date=2021-02-12}}</ref>
  +
* Cavetown is an aromantic asexual musician.<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://twitter.com/CAVETOWN/status/1173762669804949509|title=Tweet by Cavetown|date=2019-09-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220352/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P6tzcmia4c|title=Being Aro Is Fine (Advice #5) video by Cavetown|date=2018-09-15}}</ref>
  +
* Alice Oseman is an aromantic and asexual author.<ref name="Alice Oseman">{{Cite_web |url=https://acesandaros.org/stories/loveless-interview |title='Loveless' author Alice Oseman on why aroace representation in fiction is important |author=Laura |date=2020-07-08 |work=[https://acesandaros.org aces & aros] |archivedate=20220221224105}}</ref>
  +
*Shubble is an asexual youtuber and streamer.<ref>[https://youtu.be/ztJ1iMqyn_Q Answering your questions about asexuality] (2021-02-18)</ref>
  +
*Karl Jacobs is a youtuber and streamer on the asexual spectrum.<ref>https://twitter.com/honkkarl/status/1323724748845703169</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/honkkarl/status/1399781900034658305?cxt=HHwWgsCyqZiOg-0mAAAA</ref>
  +
*Jaiden is an aroace youtuber and animator <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF1DTK4U1AM</ref>
  +
  ⚫
==Resources==
  +
*{{Scroll|{{Reflist}}}}[https://www.asexuality.org/ Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN)]
   
 
==References==
  
==References==
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[[Category:A-spec]]
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{{Reflist}}
  
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[[de:Achilleisch]]
  
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[[es:Aquileano]]
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[[de:Asexuell]]
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[[pt-br:Aquileano]]
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[[es:Asexualidad]]
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[[ja:Aセクシュアル]]
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[[pt-br:Assexualidade]]

Revision as of 03:05, 19 March 2023

Asexual refers to people who do not experience sexual attraction toward others.[1] They may experience other forms of attraction, such as romantic, sensual, or aesthetic attraction. Asexuality is a sexual orientation,[2] not a gender identity, behavior, or medical condition. Some asexual people choose to engage in sexual activities for various reasons despite not experiencing sexual feelings and desire toward any particular person.[3] Asexuality is part of the asexual spectrum (abbreviated "ace spectrum"), an umbrella term and a broad community of identities that are closely related to asexuality when placed on a spectrum ranging from asexual to sexual.[1]

Etymology

The term 'asexual' comes from the negation prefix a-, meaning 'not' or 'without', with the word 'sexual'. It was initially used to describe biological organisms that had no sex organs or reproduction without sex.[4] Its use as a label was popularized by Alfred Kinsey in his Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale (the Kinsey scale), with X being used to denote people who did not engage in sexual behaviors.[5]

Community

The asexual community is small but growing.[6] Asexuality is part of the asexual spectrum and has been broadly categorized, along with aromanticism, as part of the a-spec(trum).[7] The asexual community has close ties to the aromantic community due to their commonalities. The community of people who are both asexual and aromantic is known as the aroace community.[7][8]

Members of the asexual community have noted that "asexual identities make explicit a romantic dimension of sexuality as distinct from a sexual identity based on lack of sexual attraction" as compared with non-asexual identities. In researched cases, this resulted in greater emphasis being put on an individuals' sexual and romantic orientation as contrasted with non-asexual peers.[9]

Asexuals challenge the idea that sex is the best, easiest, or only route to achieving intimacy or connections with others. The experiences of asexuals call into question normative assumptions about the relationships between sex, physical closeness, romantic experience, and interpersonal intimacy, demonstrating there are a variety of ways to create meaningful intimate bonds with others that do not focus on sex or even necessarily on romantic connections.[10]

There are many key signs that someone might be asexual; however, asexuality is a spectrum, and not all of these will apply to all asexual people:[11]

  • No interest in sex or intimacy[11]
  • Finding others attractive, but not being attracted to them[12]
  • Enjoying hugging/kissing, but don't want to take things further[12]
  • Finding sex scenes boring[12]

History

Early 20th century

Because modern asexual organizing has largely happened on the internet, some commentators have defined asexuality as the first "internet orientation." However, explicit references to the asexual identity can be traced back to the early 20th century. One of the first modern gay activists in the U.S., Carl Schlegel, issued pleas for queer equality that specifically invoked asexuality in a speech composed in 1907. The famous sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld also used the term in “The Role of Homosexual Men and Women in Society” in 1920.[13]

1950s-1970s

Fast-forward half a century, and the emerging literature on queer identity made frequent references to asexuality. In 1952, the magazine Transvestia used the term "asexual", and in 1965 published a short description of what it termed the “A-sexual Range”, perhaps an early prototype of the asexual spectrum. Many feminist conferences in the 1970s let people choose a label for their sexual identity, and asexual was one of the options.[13]

Illinois State University professor Ela Przybylo, in her book Asexual Erotics, highlighted a feminist effort in the 1960s and 1970s to swear off sex. The rise of these sexual critiques inspired one feminist, Lisa Orlando, to publish “The Asexual Manifesto” in 1972. Although Orlando’s interpretation of asexuality is largely framed as a political reaction to the patriarchy, she does mention avoiding sex and feeling her need for sex to diminish, as well as seeing sex as a way of avoiding closeness rather than achieving it. “The Asexual Manifesto" struck a chord with people who more closely matched today’s understanding of asexuality, and even prompted the gay liberationist Greg Turner to cite it in a 1976 essay outlining his search for an identity label. [13]

In 1971, the Village Voice published what it intended to be a parody article titled “Asexuals Have Problems Too!,” but the article prompted a flurry of letters to the newspaper and suggested a widespread curiosity about asexual identity. Soon after, queer zines began making occasional references to asexual identity.[13] In the ’80s and ’90s, punk zines that surveyed their readers accounted for the asexual demographic. Also in the ’90s, asexual people began exploring their identities themselves in riot grrrl zines. There are likely more than 100 zines either wholly focused on or containing discussion of the ace umbrella, and these zines paved the way for the recognition of asexuality as a distinct sexual identity.[14]

1990s to present

Most asexual people credit writer Zoe O’Reilly’s 1997 essay, “My life as an amoeba,” with creating the first contemporary asexual community. Before O’Reilly’s piece was published on the now-defunct website StarNet Dispatches.[15]

Four years later, in October 2000, a Yahoo! Group “Haven for the Human Amoeba” was established as place where asexual people could find each other online. However, the biggest breakthrough for the community came in March 2001, when a freshman at Wesleyan University named David Jay launched what is today called the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). It is a website, wiki, and forum that has connected thousands of asexual people across the world.[15]

Ace Week

Ace Week, formerly known as Asexual Awareness Week, was founded by Sara Beth Brooks in 2010 with the help of AVEN founder David Jay. It takes place annually the final week of October, and its purpose is to spread educational materials, organize community events, and discuss asexual experiences.[16]

The very first Ace Week was mostly conducted online through blogging and social media activity. As part of the campaign to increase asexual awareness within the LGBTQ+ community, members of the asexual community created one minute "Dear LGBT Community" video letters to share on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Asexuals were also encouraged to share information and experiences on social media, change their profile pictures, and start conversations about being asexual both online and off.[17]

Ace Week took a huge leap forward in 2011. Sara Beth formed a 20-person committee that planned and collaborated on the project over the course of 6 months. In addition to focusing on the LGBTQ+ community, the second Ace Week targeted mass media, educational organizations, medical professionals, and sex-positive communities.[17]

Many traditions have developed in celebration of Ace Week, including the Fandom Challenge, which first took place in 2014. On each day of Ace Week, the Fandom Challenge sets out a prompt designed to initiate discussions on social media about canon and headcanon asexual characters.[17]

Flag

The asexual pride flag was voted on by the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) in 2010. It is composed of four horizontal stripes from top to bottom in the colors black, grey, white, and purple. The colors have the following meanings:[18]

Distinction

Aromantic

Main article: Aromantic

Aromantic (or "aro") people do not experience romantic attraction toward others. Some aromantic people experience sexual attraction, while others are both aromantic and asexual.[20]

Celibacy and abstinence

Asexuality is not the same as celibacy or abstinence, which are choices to not engage in sexual behavior based on reasons that are not related to sexual attraction. People who abstain from sex may experience sexual attraction and choose not to act upon it, and they may change their minds and become sexually active.[3] Asexuality is not a personal choice that can be changed; it is an orientation. Someone who chooses to practice celibacy, whether for personal or religious beliefs, is not necessarily asexual. Some asexuals may abstain from sex, while others have sex for various reasons, such as the desire to have children or for intimacy with a partner.[1]

Asexuality is not inceldom ("involuntary celibacy"), an online subculture that is associated with misogyny.[21]

Demisexual

Main article: Demisexual

Although demisexuality is on the asexual spectrum, it is different from asexuality itself. Asexual people do not experience sexual attraction, regardless of how close they are with someone, whereas demisexual people can and do experience sexual attraction, but only after a close bond is formed with another person.[22]

Nonlibidoist and hyposexual

Nonlibidoist refers to a person who does not experience sexual urges/desires or masturbate.[23] This differs from asexual in that asexual people can still experience sexual arousal, but not attraction. Although some asexual people simply ignore feelings of sexual arousal, others may masturbate in response or seek out sex for the physical pleasure.[24]

Hyposexuality, unlike asexuality, is a disorder, and is characterized by a reduced libido and difficulty becoming sexually aroused.[25]

Perceptions and discrimination

Dehumanization

Although further research is needed, asexual people may be the target of more prejudice, avoidance, and discrimination relative to cisgender and heterosexual people, and possibly to cisgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Asexual people have been perceived as experiencing fewer human emotions and dehumanized by being characterized as both "machine-like" and "animal-like."[26][27]

Exclusion

Asexual people can face prejudice from within the LGBTQ+ community, such as being refused entry to LGBTQ+ spaces, receiving inappropriate treatment from LGBTQ+ services, or being excluded from the LGBTQ+ umbrella.[26] One belief is that the inclusion of asexuals and aromantics in the community will cause others to lose access to needed resources.[28]

Myths

There are a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to asexuality. It does not necessarily mean having an aversion to sex[29] or fear of sex, although some asexuals do. A common myth is that people "become" asexual after either being sexually rejected or sexually abused. Asexuality is a natural orientation that is generally unrelated to traumatic experiences a person may have suffered. Some asexual people may experience changes in their desire or attraction due to trauma, but trauma and mental health are not exclusive and decisive "causes" of asexuality or other sexual orientations. Some asexuals may know their orientation from an early age, while others may not discover they are asexual until after one or more sexual experiences.[29][30]

Another myth is that asexuality is caused by a hormone deficiency. Asexual people who have their hormone levels tested are generally found to be within normative ranges. Some asexuals have received hormone therapy for reasons unrelated to their sexuality, but they have not reported changes in their sexual orientation. Available evidence does not support the conclusion that asexuality is caused by hormone imbalances or deficient sex drives.[30]

Assaults and abuse

Icon-Warning Trigger warning
This section discusses forms of assault and abuse, including sexual, that target asexual people. Reader discretion is advised or skip to the next section.

Many asexual individuals report experiencing sexual harassment and violence, including corrective rape, designed to eradicate their asexuality.[26] In the 2015 asexual community census, a volunteer-run project, 43.5% of nearly 8,000 asexuals surveyed reported having experienced some form of sexual violence.[31] These crimes occur because people see asexuality as a "challenge", and they believe they can "change the person's mind" or "fix their orientation".[27]

Asexuals frequently experience verbal abuse and violence from neighbors or strangers, in person or online.[26] This can include:

  • Saying there is something "wrong" with the victim or that the victim is "broken" because they are asexual[32]
  • Telling the victim that something is "wrong" with their body, and that is why they are asexual[32]
  • Mocking the victim's body or making the victim feel bad about their body responding or not responding to sexual acts[32]
  • Telling the victim that they are asexual or are confused about being asexual because no one wants to have a relationship or sex with them[32]
  • Threatening to tell the victim's friends, family, or coworkers about their asexuality without their permission[32]
  • Stopping or forbidding the victim from speaking to other asexual people, talking about asexuality, or attending in-person or online support groups for asexual people[32]

Many asexual people are wary of coming out because they fear they may face interrogation from people who don't believe them.[31]

Media

Literature

  • Kerewin, from Keri Hulme's 1986 The Bone People, is asexual, and uses the word to refer to herself.[33]
  • Tori Spring from Heartstopper and Solitaire, is asexual and aromantic. The creator of both series, Alice Oseman, stated on her Tumblr blog that Tori identifies as straight in Solitaire, but is "actually on the aro/ace spectrums". This seems to reflect how Alice herself was straight at the time of writing Solitaire, but then came out later as aroace.[34]

Television/Animated

Comic books

Other people

  • Yasmin Benoit, an aromantic and asexual model and activist who co-founded International Asexuality Day.[51]
  • Cavetown is an aromantic asexual musician.[52][53]
  • Alice Oseman is an aromantic and asexual author.[54]
  • Shubble is an asexual youtuber and streamer.[55]
  • Karl Jacobs is a youtuber and streamer on the asexual spectrum.[56][57]
  • Jaiden is an aroace youtuber and animator [58]

Resources

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