Asexuality

This article is about human asexuality; asexual reproduction is a separate topic.

Asexuality is a designation or self-designation for people who claim that they are not sexually attracted to anyone. This may be viewed as a form of sexual orientation in itself. There has been little research done on asexuality, but it appears to be the least common occurring sexual orientation.

Table of contents

1 Type System
2 Societal views on asexuality
3 Asexuality in fiction
4 See also
5 External links

Type System

Asexuality, as a sexual orientation, is divided into four types, A through D.

Type As do not experience romantic attraction, but experience arousal. They are aware that sex might feel good on a purely biochemical level, but have no drive to engage in it with others.
Type Bs experience romantic attraction, but have no sex drives. In other words, they are interested in "normal" relationships, but would not want to participate in sexual activities with the person they are in a relationship with.
Type Cs are capable of both arousal and romantic attraction, but have no drive to put the two together.
Type Ds feel neither attraction nor arousal, and are probably closest to what society would deem asexual.

The common link between all of these types is that none of them experience sexual attraction. Type Bs and Cs, who do feel a desire to engage in relationships, are therefore in a difficult position, as the majority of people are sexuals. They either must compromise with their partners, only date asexuals, or decide to live alone.

Asexuals tend to discourage the use of "typing oneself," and only use it to distinguish the range of feelings asexuals can feel. Asexuals are not expected to fit exclusively into one type.

Societal views on asexuality

There has been very little research done on asexuality. As a result, many claim that it is a psycho-sexual disorder, and not a genuine orientation. Doubters tend to blame it on factors such as sexual abuse, repressed homosexuality, or a lack of proper hormones. Those who believe asexuality is unnatural are often considered "heterosexist" by asexuals and other sexuality researchers.

The Kinsey Institute recently began researching asexuality, and claim that so far, it appears to be a naturally occurring sexual orientation.

Several religions or religious sects believe that asexuality is a spiritually superior condition. In the Catholic Church, chastity is one of the vows that one takes in order to become a nun or priest. See also celibacy. This idea that asexuality is the higher way is sometimes referred to as asexism.

In other creeds, children may be considered a gift of God that should not be refused, and/or a means of spreading religion.

Asexuals are currently a minority that very few are educated about, and fear backlash from conservative groups when their orientation becomes more visible. Currently, asexuals are not a main target of conservative religious groups, since they do not participate in what some cultures would believe to be "deviant" sexual behaviour. It is possible, though, that they could be subject to scrutiny from these religious groups in the future for challenging the belief that heterosexuality is the only normal sexual orientation.

Asexuality in fiction

In fiction, John Braine's novel The Jealous God (1964) is a good example of sex mainly seen as a sin. On the other hand, in his science fiction novel Distress (1995), Greg Egan imagines a 22nd century world where "asex" is one out of seven acknowledged gender settings. To quote from Distress:

"Asex was really nothing but an umbrella term for a broad group of philosophies, styles of dress, cosmetic-surgical changes, and deep-biological alterations. The only thing that one asex person necessarily had in common with another was the view that vis gender parameters (neural, endocrine, chromosomal and genital) were the business of no one but verself, usually (but not always) vis lovers, probably vis doctor, and sometimes a few close friends. What a person actually did in response to that attitude could range from as little as ticking the "A" box on census forms, to choosing an asex name, to breast or body-hair reduction, voice timbre adjustment, facial resculpting, empouchment (surgery to render the male genitals retractable), all the way to full physical and/or neural asexuality, hermaphroditism, or exoticism." (Distress, paperback ed., p. 45)