It’s ACE Week October 19-25th. What does that Mean?

What is an Ace?  We may all know it as a desirable card you want to hold in your hand.  Or a person who excels in a particular sport.  However, during this week October 19-25, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network is educating the public about an alternate term.  It’s the A of LGBTQ+A.

A or ACE is a term for someone who is not sexually attracted to another person.  It is recognized by the Asexual Visibility and Education Network as a variation in human sexuality and is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors.  It is NOT a choice, but like being gay, it’s an innate part of who someone is.  It’s possible to be an ACE at some point in your life and then change like other sexual orientations.

It is NOT caused by a hormonal imbalance or a medical issue.  You can’t fix it.  There’s no medication to stop it.  It is not the result of sexual abuse.

How Do You Know If You Are ASEXUAL?

Here are the common signs:

• Disinterest in sex
• Don’t feel sexually attracted to others
• Don’t develop crushes
• Erotic content doesn’t stimulate
• Personality is prioritized over looks
• Often feels left out from conversations re: sex and relationships
• Possible to be aromantic and not asexual.

Some people may know they are asexual at an early age while others realize they’re asexual after one or more sexual experiences.  Some asexuals grow up not realizing that asexuality is an option, but the designation can be a permanent but also fluid and temporary.

The Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA Law that conducts research on sexual orientation and gender identification, estimates that 1.9% of the world regards itself as asexual.  There are three types of asexuals:  gray-asexual or gray-sexual is a way for someone who feels a little attention at times to honor their experience.  A demi-sexual may be asexual by definition but finds aceness and/or grayness a useful, relevant concept.  Sometimes semi-sexual  has demi-sexual and gray-sexual connotations.