David Jay (born April 24, 1982) is an American asexual

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

. Jay is the founder and

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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

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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 Arts Engine is a film organization whose activities include documentary film production, a social-issue film festival and a virtual commons for filmmakers, activists, educators and students to share information. Arts Engine will premiere its eleve ...

'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, working both with the Department of Education and private organizations, he has been providing training on Ace (asexual) inclusion to health educators.

Personal life

Jay is from St. Louis, Missouri, and he graduated from Crossroads College Preparatory School in 2000. At the age of 15, Jay began considering himself asexual, and he

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as asexual while a student at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the c ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

References

External links

AVENguy
– David Jay's online profile
Love from the Asexual Underground
- David Jay's blog and podcast about asexuality
AVEN
– Asexual Visibility and Education Network.
Interview with Jay
* 1982 births Activists from Missouri American founders Asexual men Crossroads College Preparatory School alumni Living people People from St. Louis Wesleyan University alumni American LGBT rights activists {{US-activist-stub