Library and Academic Services: Gender and Sexual Diversity: Asexual

What does Asexual mean?

The A in 2SLGBTQIA+ stands for “asexual.”

Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to others or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity. It may be considered a sexual orientation or the lack thereof. It may also be categorized more widely to include a broad spectrum of asexual sub-identities.

Image source: Public domain

Library Resources

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
Publication Date: 2021
An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity. What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, about romance and consent, and the pressures of society? This accessible examination of asexuality shows that the issues that aces face--confusion around sexual activity, the intersection of sexuality and identity, navigating different needs in relationships--are the same conflicts that nearly all of us will experience. Through a blend of reporting, cultural criticism, and memoir, Ace addresses the misconceptions around the "A" of LGBTQIA...

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives by Megan Milks (Editor); Karli June Cerankowski (Editor)
Publication Date: 2014
What is so radical about not having sex? To answer this question, this collection of essays explores the feminist and queer politics of asexuality. Asexuality is predominantly understood as an orientation describing people who do not experience sexual attraction. In this multidisciplinary volume, the authors expand this definition of asexuality to account for the complexities of gender, race, disability, and medical discourse. Together, these essays challenge the ways in which we imagine gender and sexuality in relation to desire and sexual practice. Asexualities provides a critical reevaluation of even the most radical queer theorizations of sexuality. ...

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker
Publication Date: 2014
What if you weren't sexually attracted to anyone? A growing number of people are identifying as asexual. They aren't sexually attracted to anyone, and they consider it a sexual orientation--like gay, straight, or bisexual. Asexuality is the invisible orientation. Most people believe that "everyone" wants sex, that "everyone" understands what it means to be attracted to other people, and that "everyone" wants to date and mate. But that's where asexual people are left out--they don't find other people sexually attractive, and if and when they say so, they are very rarely treated as though that's okay. When an asexual person comes out, alarming reactions regularly follow; loved ones fear that an asexual person is sick, or psychologically warped, or suffering from abuse. ...

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
A Quick and Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon; Will Hernandez (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2022
This book is for anyone who wants to learn about asexuality, and for Ace people themselves, to validate their experiences. Asexuality is often called The Invisible Orientation. You don't learn about it in school, you don't hear "ace" on television. So, it's kinda hard to be ace in a society so steeped in sex that no one knows you exist. Too many young people grow up believing that their lack of sexual desire means they are broken - so writer Molly Muldoon and cartoonist Will Hernandez, both in the ace community, are here to shed light on society's misconceptions of asexuality and what being ace is really like. ...

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown; Hess Love (Foreword by); Grace B. Freedom (Afterword by)
Publication Date: 2022
Everything you know about sex and asexuality is (probably) wrong. The notion that everyone wants sex--and that we all have to have it--is false. It's intertwined with our ideas about capitalism, race, gender, and queerness. And it impacts the most marginalized among us. For asexual folks, it means that ace and A-spec identity is often defined by a queerness that's not queer enough, seen through a lens of perceived lack- lack of pleasure, connection, joy, maturity, and even humanity.

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
Understanding Asexuality by Anthony F. Bogaert
Location: ebook
Publication Date: 2012
Asexuality can be defined as an enduring lack of sexual attraction. Thus, asexual individuals do not find (and perhaps never have) others sexually appealing. Some consider "asexuality" as a fourth category of sexual orientation, distinct from heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. However, there is also recent evidence that the label "asexual" may be used in a broader way than merely as "a lack of sexual attraction." People who say they have sexual attraction to others, but indicate little or no desire for sexual activity are also self-identifying as asexual. Distinct from celibacy, which refers to sexual abstinence by choice where sexual attraction and desire may still be present, asexuality is experienced by those having a lack or sexual attraction or a lack of sexual desire. ...

Bogaert, A. (2015). Asexuality: What It Is and Why It Matters. The Journal of Sex Research, 52(4), 362–379
In this review article, human asexuality, a relatively understudied phenomenon, is discussed. Specifically, definitions and conceptualizations of asexuality (e.g., is it a unique category of sexual orientation?), biological and historical contexts, identity issues, discrimination against asexual people relative to other minorities, origins, and variations, including gender differences, are reviewed. Whether asexuality should be construed as a disorder is also discussed. The study of asexuality allows for a better understanding of an underrecognized sexual minority but also affords a unique opportunity to examine and better understand human sexuality.

Webpages, media, and other resources

The Ace Couple podcast
Asexual married couple Courtney and Royce talk about all things Asexuality. By discussing queer culture and history, we'll explore the topics of life, love, and sex through an Ace lens.
Asexuality Archive
The Asexuality Archive is a collection of all things Ace. In these pages, I hope to provide a comprehensive and uncensored look into what asexuality is, what it means to us and how it shapes our lives. My intention is to provide information that is approachable and informative, whether or not you’re asexual.
Asexuality is not a ‘symptom’: Asexual Canadians fight to dispel harmful misconceptions (GlobalNews)
It wasn’t until Hadley Abrams was 10 that they first heard the word “gay.” And even then it was in the context of I Feel Pretty from Westside Story — they thought it just meant happy. “I grew up in a time where it was like, ‘Aw that’s so gay’ — that was the insult to use,” Abrams, 27, remembers of growing up in small town Ontario. But they’ve come a long way from that point, Abrams is non-binary, queer, and asexual (ace). They say that without the help of friends, moving to a big city like Toronto, and dedicated internet research, they would have never come to understand their identity as meaningfully as they do now.
Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN)
The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded in 2001 with two distinct goals: creating public acceptance and discussion of asexuality and facilitating the growth of an asexual community. Since that time we have grown to host the world’s largest asexual community, serving as an informational resource for people who are asexual and questioning, their friends and families, academic researchers and the press.
No Sex, Please—I'm Asexual (Bust)
I remember it clearly: I was in the sixth grade, and my mom asked me which boy I had a crush on. I refused to give a name, but she pressed on, asking which actors I thought were cute. I felt acutely embarrassed by the question, and didn’t want to answer her, but I finally said Ethan Hawke (this was the era of Reality Bites) just to appease her, and then changed the subject. I had that same feeling years later, eating lunch with the girls at work and staying silent during their conversations about birth control. They assumed I was on the Pill, too, because they assumed I was having sex with guys. I wasn’t.
Sounds Fake But Okay
Sounds Fake But Okay is a weekly podcast where an aromantic asexual girl and a demisexual girl talk about love, relationships, sexuality, & pretty much anything else they just don't understand.

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