The student news site of Antioch Community High School.

Sequoit Media

The student news site of Antioch Community High School.

Sequoit Media

The student news site of Antioch Community High School.

Sequoit Media

LATEST

What it Means to be Asexual

The struggle to realize asexuality is a common issue everywhere.
This+is+an+infographic+about+asexuality%2C+including+quotes+about+asexuality+or+from+people+who+are+asexual.+People+that+are+asexual+fall+on+the+scale+of+having+little+to+no+sexual+attraction%3B+this+can+be+true+for+either+gender.+According+to+nih.gov%2C+they+said%2C+A+total+of+325+asexuals+%2860+men+and+265+women%3B+M+age%2C+24.8+years%29%2C+690+heterosexuals+%28190+men+and+500+women%3B+M+age%2C+23.5+years%29%2C+and+268+non-heterosexuals+%28homosexual+and+bisexual%3B+64+men+and+204+women%3B+M+age%2C+29.0+years%29+completed+online+questionnaires.
Gabby Debevec
This is an infographic about asexuality, including quotes about asexuality or from people who are asexual. People that are asexual fall on the scale of having little to no sexual attraction; this can be true for either gender. According to nih.gov, they said, “A total of 325 asexuals (60 men and 265 women; M age, 24.8 years), 690 heterosexuals (190 men and 500 women; M age, 23.5 years), and 268 non-heterosexuals (homosexual and bisexual; 64 men and 204 women; M age, 29.0 years) completed online questionnaires.”

Within the LGBTQ+ community, there is a sexual orientation called asexuality. According to whatisasexuality.com, an asexual (or ace) person is someone who does not experience sexual attraction to either gender.

“Current statistics suggest that about 1 percent of the population is asexual, though many experts think that the number may be higher,” according to Igbt.williams.edu. 

Within asexuality, there is a multitude of more specific orientations that fall under the criteria of little to no sexual attraction that all have unique characteristics. Asexuality is an umbrella term with many more specific orientations that fall under it. Every orientation has unique characteristics, but they all include the criteria of having little to no sexual attraction for other people. No matter what specific orientation an asexual may fall under, the choice to become asexual can step from a variety of different reasons.

“Sometimes there is an environmental factor like trauma, bad experience, bad relationships or someone who could be really focused on their career and not focused their interests on sex,” Psychology teacher, Jaclyn Orlov said.

On top of the nurture factors that play into becoming asexual, there are physical factors as well. 

One example of this according to Orlov, could be that an asexual may have low hormone levels. If you are female, having low levels of estrogen results in a lower sex drive. The same is true for males. If you are a male, having low levels of testosterone results in a lower sex drive. This could lead to someone becoming asexual because they don’t share the same drive as others. 

In the community, they have a flag for asexuality represented with black, gray, white and purple which all stand for a part of the community that makes up the umbrella term, asexual. 

“Like the other pride flags each colored stripe has a different meaning; black means asexuality, grey means grey-asexuality (a grey area between asexuality and sexuality) and demisexuality, white means sexuality and purple means community,” medium.com states. 

Finding ones sexuality comes with time, and discovering oneself and who people are attracted to will fall into place. Sexuality is a unique part of everyone that comes with identity. Even in the case of asexuality, people can find ideals that they agree with or simply respect what asexuality is. In the event someone finds themselves agreeing with the ideals of asexuality, one should continue to pursue it and keep on finding new characteristics that define them as a person.

Leave a Comment
About the Contributor
Olivia Gerhardt, Photography Director
Olivia Gerhardt is a senior and has been on staff for three years. She is a part of the Antioch girls soccer team. Olivia spends too much of her time obsessing over the small details, especially when it comes to photography. Additionally, she participates in dance and has interests in drawing, painting and reading.
More to Discover

Comments (0)

We encourage constructive and meaningful discussions while maintaining a safe and welcoming environment. Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and avoid personal attacks or derogatory language. Our team moderates the comments to ensure compliance with our policy and reserves the right to remove any content that violates these guidelines. We value open dialogue and diverse perspectives, and aim to foster a positive online experience for all users.
All Sequoit Media Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *