Asexuality

Asexuality is a term for people who do not experience sexual attraction.

Scientific basis

Little research has been done into asexuality, but a UK survey of sexuality indicated that 1% of adults had never felt sexually attracted to anyone at all. (PubMed) A study of rams (referenced here) also concluded that 2% to 3% of the rams were asexual.

Classification

There is debate over whether to see asexuality as one of four or more orientations (homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual/pansexual, asexual) or as one of two (sexual and asexual, with gender preference being measured along a different axis). (Relevant thread)

There are also some classifications that can be made within the spectrum of asexuality, based on romantic attraction (some asexuals desire romance with one or more genders, and some don't) and sex drive (some asexuals experience sexual arousal, but without the desire to express it with another person). At one time, AVEN sought to sort asexuals into four categories, based on these criteria:

Type A asexuals, who experience sex drive, but no attraction;

Type B asexuals, who experience romantic or other forms of attraction but do not have sex drives;

Type C asexuals, who experience sex drive and romantic or other forms of attraction, but do not see them as linked;

Type D asexuals, who experience neither.

This classification system was retired, because not all asexuals felt comfortable putting themselves in one of the four categories. However, some asexuals still find it useful to reference the concepts of type A, B, C, or D at times. (Relevant thread)

Alternative Definitions

Generally, AVEN's definition of asexuality is praised for its inclusiveness. However, confusion over this definition sometimes arises when people have trouble defining the term "sexual attraction". Some people who identify as asexual feel that they do experience small amounts of sexual attraction, but not enough to make them want to ever engage in sexual activity with anyone else. Other asexuals think that these people are really experiencing some other form of attraction, or that they are not really asexual at all. (Relevant thread) Some alternative definitions of asexuality have been suggested at various times.

Not Interested

One alternate definition that has been suggested on AVEN is the definition of an asexual as a person who is not interested in sex. This definition is often used by people who are trying to explain asexuality in simple terms to the people around them. While "sexual attraction" is a nebulous clinical term and can be argued about almost endlessly, simply not being interested is harder to refute.

However, some people who identify as asexual do not consider themselves to be uninterested in sex. They may be interested in sexual activities in order to please a romantic partner. Also, some people are not interested in sex, but might not be considered asexual - for example, a person who decided to be celibate for life might still experience the urge to have sex with another person, but ignore it. Does this make them interested or uninterested? And are asexuals with an academic interest in the psychology or sociology of sex considered "interested"? Some people have amended this definition to describe an asexual as a person who is not "innately" interested in having sex with anybody. But because "innate interest" is nearly as hard to define as "sexual attraction", many people do not see the point in having this alternate definition. (Relevant thread)

Nonlibidoism

Some asexuals identify as nonlibidoists, a much more stringent definition than AVEN's standard description of asexuality. A nonlibidoist is a person who does not have a sex drive and has never had one. Since many asexuals do have sex drives, but still lack any sexual attraction, this definition is not used much on AVEN. Web sites such as the Official Nonlibidoist Society cater to people who would rather use the nonlibidoist definition.

Rabger's model

Another model of the spectrum of asexuality has been suggested by the AVENite Rabger. This model includes several new terms and definitions:

Primary sexual attraction is an instant attraction to people based on instantly available information such as their looks or smell. It may or may not lead to arousal or sexual desire.

Secondary sexual attraction is an attraction that develops over time based on a person's relationship and emotional connection with another person.

Primary sexual desire is the desire to engage in sexual activity for the purposes of personal pleasure (either physical or emotional or both).

Secondary sexual desire is the desire to engage in sexual activity solely for the sake of the happiness of the other person involved, or for another ulterior motive such as the conception of children. Most sexuals in romantic relationships feel both primary and secondary sexual desire.

Asexuals, in Rabger's model, are people who lack primary sexual desire. Some asexuals therefore experience attraction and/or secondary sexual desire, but some don't.

Many people on AVEN feel that Rabger's explanation is too complicated and confusing for everyday use, especially for visibility work involving people who have never heard of asexuality before and have only a passing interest (if any) in understanding it. Because of this, it has not caught on widely, despite its thoroughness. A more detailed discussion of Rabger's model can be found here.

AVENguy's Collective Identity Model

Another model of asexuality has been put forth by AVENguy. Rather than trying to define a common sexual classification for all asexual people, this frames asexuality in terms of collective identity. Asexual people have something in common because they have all chosen to actively disidentify with sexuality, a socially dominant framework for thinking about everything from pleasure to attractiveness to intimacy.

Under this model an asexual person is anyone who uses the term "asexual" to describe themselves. The label can only be applied internally, no one has the power to create a set of criteria which determine who "is" and "is not" asexual. The desire to identify as asexual comes from occupying a particular social position relative to culturally dominant ideas about sexuality. This common social position is the one thing which unifies all asexual people.

Imagine a person who does not experience sexual attraction. Imagine they are put in an environment where they are free to talk about desire and pleasure, pursue relationships, and go about their lives without their lack of sexuality ever becoming an issue. This person would feel sexually "normal", they would feel no desire to identify as asexual or participate in a community. Under the collective identity model this person would not be asexual, because they would not use the term "asexual" to describe themselves.

Not imagine that same person in a different environment, where they are reminded of their lack of sexuality constantly. In this environment things like intimacy and attraction are entangled in a set of sexual ideas which have nothing to do with the person's life. The person is constantly expected to be thinking and feeling things which they are not. This second environment qould create feelings of confusion and isolation leading to the formation of an asexual identity and making the person asexual.

The collective identity model implies that asexuality as we know it is a direct result of culturally dominant ideas about sex which are incompatible with our lifestyle. By growing as a community and becoming visible in the public sphere asexual people will challenge those ideas, changing what it means to be sexual and what it means to be asexual.