Asexuality
Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or Sexual desire, desire for Human sexual activity, sexual activity. It may be considered a sexual orientation or the lack thereof. It may also be categorized umbrella term, more widely, to include a broad spectrum of Gray asexuality, asexual sub-identities. Asexuality is distinct from sexual abstinence, abstention from sexual activity and from celibacy, which are behavioral and generally motivated by factors such as an individual's personal, social, or religious beliefs. Sexual orientation, unlike sexual behavior, is believed to be "enduring". Some asexual people engage in sexual activity despite lacking sexual attraction or a desire for sex, for a number of reasons, such as a desire to physically pleasure themselves or romantic partners, or a desire to have children. Acceptance of asexuality as a sexual orientation and field of scientific method, scientific research is still relatively ne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Asexual Flag
The asexual flag is a pride flag representing the Asexuality, asexual community created in 2010 by a member of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). The flag features four horizontal stripes of equal size. From top to bottom, the stripes are black, gray, white, and purple. The black stripe represents asexuality, the gray stripe represents Gray asexuality, gray-asexuality and demisexuality, the white stripe represents allosexuality (or, sometimes, Straight ally, allies), and the purple stripe represents the community as a whole. The flag is often flown at pride events and is used to represent the asexual community. The flag design has been widely accepted and has become a LGBT symbols, symbol of asexuality. History and design The origin of the colors of the asexual flag is the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, AVEN triangle which was used in the past to represent asexuality. The original iteration of the AVEN triangle, made by David Jay, was a black-bo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gray Asexuality
Graysexuality, greysexuality, gray asexuality, or gray-sexuality is a sexuality within the asexual spectrum. It is often defined as limited amounts of sexual attraction that can vary in intensity. Individuals who identify with gray asexuality are referred to as being gray-A, gray ace, and are within what is referred to as the "a-umbrella". Within the a-spectrum are terms such as demisexual, graysexual, asexual, and many other types of non-allosexual identities. The emergence of online communities, such as the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), has given graysexuals locations to discuss their orientation. Definitions General Gray asexuality is considered the gray area between asexuality and allosexuality, in which a person may experience sexual attraction in variety of "unconventional" ways. * A graysexual alloromantic person: rarely sexually attracted to others. * An asexual grayromantic person: not sexually attracted to anyone, but does experience ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Asexual Visibility And Education Network
The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) is an online community founded in 2001 by David Jay and classed as a 501(c)4 non-profit since June 2022. By 2021, it had 135,539 members, according to Michael Doré, one of its members in the UK who works with their project team. Purpose When first starting the website, AVEN's main goals were "building community and… legitimising asexuality as a sexual orientation." AVEN serves simultaneously as an informational platform, a space for fostering community, and as a forum for facilitating discussion. Impact Improving academic understanding of asexuality A study performed by Kristin S. Scherrer on asexual identity was published in 2008 that focused on analyzing survey responses from 102 individuals that identified themselves as asexual. This study brought asexual perspectives into academic research at a time when there was relatively little academic literature available on the topic of asexuality, and even less that appr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Jay
David Jay (born April 24, 1982) is an American asexual activist. Jay is the founder and webmaster of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), the most prolific and well-known of the various asexual communities established since the advent of the World Wide Web and social media. Activism Frustrated with the lack of resources available regarding asexuality, Jay launched AVEN's website in 2001. Since then, he has taken a leading role in the asexuality movement, appearing on multiple television shows, and being featured heavily in Arts Engine's 2011 documentary ''(A)sexual''. AVEN, which Salon.com referred to as the "unofficial online headquarters" of the asexuality movement, is widely recognised as the largest online asexual community. Its two main goals are to create public acceptance and discussion about asexuality and to facilitate the growth of a large online asexual community. As of June 17, 2013, AVEN has nearly 70,000 registered members. In New York City, w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Demisexuality
Demisexuality is a term used to describe individuals who rarely experience primary sexual attraction – a type of attraction that is based on immediately observable characteristics such as appearance or smell, and is experienced immediately after first encounter. A demisexual person generally tends to develop sexual attraction after they experience secondary sexual attraction – a type of attraction that occurs after development of an emotional bond. The amount of time that a demisexual individual needs to know another person before developing sexual attraction towards them varies from person to person. Demisexuality is generally categorized on the asexuality spectrum. History The term was coined in the Asexual Visibility and Education Network Forums in February 2006. Based on the theory that allosexuals experience both primary and secondary sexual attraction and asexuals do not experience either, the term ''demisexual'' was proposed for people who experience the latter ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sexual Attraction
Sexual attraction is attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest. Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal is an individual's ability to attract other people sexually, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context where they appear. The attraction may be to a person's aesthetics, movements, voice, among other things. The attraction may be enhanced by a person's body odor, sex pheromones, adornments, clothing, perfume or hair style. It can be influenced by individual genetic, psychological, or cultural factors, or to other, more amorphous qualities. Sexual attraction is also a response to another person that depends on a combination of the person possessing the traits and on the criteria of the person who is attracted. Though attempts have been made to devise objective criteria of sexual attractiveness and measure it ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns are generally categorized under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, while asexuality (experiencing no sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category. These categories are aspects of the more nuanced nature of sexual identity and terminology. For example, people may use other labels, such as '' pansexual'' or '' polysexual'', or none at all. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions". ''Androphilia'' and ''gynephilia'' are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual orientation as an alternative to a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Allosexuality
Allosexuality is the ability to experience sexual attraction, in contrast with asexuality. Individuals express this identity as allosexual, sometimes shortened to allo; synonymous terms include zedsexual, or simply ''sexual''. The identity does not reflect other aspects of sexual attraction, hence allosexuals can be heterosexual, gay, bisexual, or pansexual, for example. Allosexual identity does not imply any particular experiences, or frequency, of sexual attraction or sexual encounters. Terminology The prefix ''allo- In linguistics and related fields, an emic unit is a type of Abstract and concrete, abstract object. cited in Kinds of emic units are generally denoted by terms with the suffix ''-eme'', such as ''phoneme'', ''grapheme'', and ''morpheme''. The ...'' comes from the Greek word ''Állos'', meaning "other", "different", or "atypical". It was attached to the suffix 'sexual' to create a term meaning "a person who experiences sexual attraction towards others". T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aegosexual
Aegosexuality is a term used to describe individuals who may experience sexual arousal, enjoy sexual content, masturbation, or sexual fantasies, but do not desire sexual activity with another person or wish to form sexual relationships with others. Aegosexuality is categorized within the asexual spectrum. Regarding romantic attraction, the term ''aegoromanticism'' is used. Etymology and history To describe this form of sexuality, sexologist Anthony Bogaert coined the term autochorissexualism, defined as "sex without (choris) one's self/identity (auto)" or "identity-less sexuality." However, while autochorissexualism is classified within the context of paraphilia, individuals who identify with this experience typically prefer the label aegosexual, which was coined in 2014. Research Research on aegosexuality highlights the diversity within the asexual spectrum and the varied relationships between sexual fantasy and self-identity. Aegosexual individuals may experience marginal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sexual Abstinence
Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from sexual activity for reasons medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical, moral, religious or other. It is a part of chastity. Celibacy is sexual abstinence generally motivated by factors such as an individual's personal or religious beliefs. Sexual abstinence before marriage is required by social norms in some societies, or by law in some countries. Abstinence may be voluntary (when an individual chooses not to engage in sexual activity due to moral, religious, philosophical, or other reasons), an involuntary result of social circumstances (when one cannot find any willing sexual partners), or legally mandated (e.g. in countries where sexual activity outside marriage is illegal, in prisons, etc.). While actual abstinence prevents pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, mere attempts at abstinence have little effect on the risk of either. Access to other forms of birth control, such as em ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Celibacy
Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied only to those for whom the unmarried state is the result of a sacred vow, act of renunciation, or religious conviction. In a wider sense, it is commonly understood to only mean abstinence from sexual activity. Celibacy has existed in one form or another throughout history, in virtually all the major religions of the world, and views on it have varied. Classical Hindu culture encouraged asceticism and celibacy in the later stages of life, after one has met one's societal obligations. Jainism, on the other hand, preached complete celibacy even for young monks and considered celibacy to be an essential behavior to attain moksha. Buddhism is similar to Jainism in this respect. There were, however, significant cultural differences in the va ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |