Gray asexuality explained

Pronunciation:[gɹɛ͜ɪʔɛ͜ɪsekʃʊælɪtiː]
Classification:Sexual identity
Associated Terms:Demisexuality
Flag:Grey asexuality flag.svg
Flag Alt:Graysexual pride flag
Flag Name:Graysexual pride flag

Gray asexuality, grey asexuality, or gray-sexuality is the spectrum between asexuality and allosexuality.[1] [2] [3] [4] Individuals who identify with gray asexuality are referred to as being gray-A, gray ace, and make up what is referred to as the "ace umbrella".[5] [6] Within this spectrum are terms such as demisexual, semisexual, asexual-ish and sexual-ish.[7]

The emergence of online communities, such as the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), has given gray aces locations to discuss their orientation.[8]

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.[2]

The term gray-A covers a range of identities under the asexuality umbrella, or on the asexual spectrum, including demisexuality.[9] Other terms within this spectrum include semisexual, asexual-ish and sexual-ish. The gray-A spectrum includes individuals who very rarely experience sexual attraction, experience it at a low intensity, or feel it only under specific circumstances. The definition of gray-asexuality is intentionally vague, allowing for a variety of experiences that do not fit completely under the allosexual or asexual identities. [10] Sari Locker, a sexuality educator at Teachers College of Columbia University, argued during a Mic interview that gray-asexuals "feel they are within the gray area between asexuality and more typical sexual interest".[11] A gray-A-identifying individual may have any romantic orientation, because sexual and romantic identities are not necessarily linked.

A gray-asexual may engage in sex with someone they have a strong connection to, but their relationship is not based on sex, nor do they crave sex. This can also be known as gray areas, which can be combined with different orientations, such as:[12]

Aspec is a term which can be used to mean that one is on the asexual spectrum or aromantic spectrum.[13] [14]

Demisexuality

See main article: Demisexuality. The term demisexuality was coined in 2006 by Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). The prefix demi- derives from the Vulgar Latin, which comes from Latin, meaning "divided into two equal parts, halved."[15] [16] [17]

A demisexual person does not experience sexual attraction until they have formed a strong emotional connection with a prospective partner. The definition of "emotional bond" varies from person to person in as much as the elements of the split attraction model can vary.[18] [19] Demisexuals can have any romantic orientation.[20] [21] People in the asexual spectrum communities often switch labels throughout their lives, and fluidity in orientation and identity is a common attitude.

Demisexuality, as a component of the asexuality spectrum, is included in queer activist communities such as GLAAD and The Trevor Project, and itself has finer divisions.[22] [23]

Demisexuality is a common theme (or trope) in romantic novels that has been termed 'compulsory demisexuality'.[24] Within fictitious prose, the paradigm of sex being only truly pleasurable when the partners are in love is a trait stereotypically more commonly associated with female characters. The intimacy of the connection also allows for an exclusivity to take place.[21] [25]

Post-doctorate research on the subject has been done since at least 2013, and podcasts and social media have also raised public awareness of the sexual orientation.[26] Some public figures, such as Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, who have come out as demisexual have also raised awareness, though they typically face some degree of ridicule for their sexuality.[27] The word gained entry to the Oxford English Dictionary in March 2022, with its earliest usage (as a noun) dating to 2006.[28]

Fictosexuality

See main article: Fictosexuality. Fictosexuality refers to the sexual attraction towards fictional characters, encompassing those who lack attraction to real individuals and fall within the spectrum of gray asexuality.[29] [30] These individuals can be found within online asexual communities. In recent times, certain fictosexuals have actively participated in queer activism.[31]

Community

Online communities, such as the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), as well as blogging websites such as Tumblr, have provided ways for gray-As to find acceptance in their communities. While gray-As are noted to have variety in the experiences of sexual attraction, individuals in the community share their identification within the spectrum.[32]

In society, there is a lack of understanding of who asexuals are. They often limit their interactions to an online platform. Asexuals have also found it safer to communicate through the use of symbols and slang. Asexuals are often referred to as aces. People are often under the misconception that asexuals hate sex or never have sex. For them, sex is not a focal point. This is where the term gray-asexual comes in.

A black, gray, white, and purple flag is commonly used to display pride in the asexual community. The gray bar represents the area of gray sexuality within the community,[33] and the flag is also used by those who identify as gray-asexual:[34]

Research

A 2019 survey by The Ace Community Survey reported that 10.9% asexuals identified as gray-sexual and 9% identified as demisexual,[35] though asexuality in general is relatively new to academic research and public discourse.

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bogaert, Anthony F.. Understanding Asexuality. January 4, 2015. Rowman & Littlefield. 85. 978-1-4422-0100-2. en.
  2. Book: Decker JS. The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality. 978-1510700642. Simon & Schuster. 2015. Grayromanticism. https://books.google.com/books?id=vTSCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT55. April 24, 2020. October 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022143214/https://books.google.com/books?id=vTSCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT55. live.
  3. Book: Julie Sondra Decker. The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality * Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in LGBT *. March 6, 2021. October 13, 2015. Simon & Schuster. en. 978-1-5107-0064-2.
  4. Web site: The ‘Q’ in LGBTQ: Queer/Questioning . February 16, 2024 . American Psychiatric Association.
  5. McGowan. Kat. Young, Attractive, and Totally Not Into Having Sex. Wired. February 18, 2015. March 4, 2015. March 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150306030540/http://www.wired.com/2015/02/demisexuality. live.
  6. Bauer, C., Miller, T., Ginoza, M., Guo, Y., Youngblom, K., Baba, A., Adroit, M. (2018). 2016 Asexual Community Survey Summary Report.
  7. Web site: Mosbergen. Dominique. The Asexual Spectrum: Identities In The Ace Community (INFOGRAPHIC). Huffington Post. June 19, 2013. March 5, 2015. June 23, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130623041531/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/asexual-spectrum_n_3428710.html. live.
  8. Book: Buyantueva R, Shevtsova M. LGBTQ+ Activism in Central and Eastern Europe: Resistance, Representation and Identity. 978-3030204013. Springer Nature. 2019. 297. April 24, 2020. October 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028181909/https://books.google.com/books?id=vw-yDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA297. live.
  9. Book: Selves, Symbols, and Sexualities: An Interactionist Anthology. Weinberg. Thomas S.. Newmahr. Staci. 2014-03-06. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4833-2389-3. en. March 4, 2015. October 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201016072939/https://books.google.com/books?id=8UwXBAAAQBAJ. live.
  10. Web site: Shoemaker. Dale. No Sex, No Love: Exploring asexuality, aromanticism at Pitt. The Pitt News. February 13, 2015. March 4, 2015. dead. https://archive.today/20150217215611/http://www.pittnews.com/news/article_bf116f32-b344-11e4-8e5c-0f66dffdd8f3.html. February 17, 2015.
  11. Web site: Zeilinger. Julie. 6 Actual Facts About What It Really Means to Be Asexual. Mic. May 1, 2015. December 31, 2015. January 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125132649/https://www.mic.com/articles/116636/6-actual-facts-about-what-it-means-to-be-asexual. live.
  12. Book: Decker, Julie Sondra . The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality * Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in LGBT * . 2015-10-13 . . 978-1-5107-0064-2 . en.
  13. Web site: 2018-06-25 . Explore the spectrum: Guide to finding your ace community . 2022-04-20 . . en . August 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200801045947/https://www.glaad.org/amp/ace-guide-finding-your-community . dead .
  14. Web site: Understanding Asexuality . 2022-04-20 . . en-US.
  15. Web site: Definition of DEMISEXUAL . 2022-10-14 . www.merriam-webster.com . en.
  16. Web site: Definition of DEMI- . 2022-10-14 . www.merriam-webster.com . en.
  17. Web site: Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, dī-mĭdĭus . 2022-10-14 . www.perseus.tufts.edu.
  18. Web site: Split Attraction Model. Princeton Gender + Sexuality Resource Center. November 3, 2021. November 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211103095834/https://www.gsrc.princeton.edu/split-attraction. live.
  19. Web site: Bustle. www.bustle.com. 2016-12-16. April 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160421101929/https://www.bustle.com/articles/155277-what-does-demisexual-mean-here-are-6-signs-that-you-may-identify-as-demisexual. live.
  20. News: What Does It Mean To Be Demisexual And Demiromantic? - HelloFlo. 2016-06-02. HelloFlo. en-US. 2016-12-16. December 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220183142/http://helloflo.com/mean-demisexual-demiromantic/. live.
  21. Web site: Asexuality, Attraction, and Romantic Orientation. July 23, 2020. The LGBTQ Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191119213638/https://lgbtq.unc.edu/resources/exploring-identities/asexuality-attraction-and-romantic-orientation. live.
  22. Web site: Pasquier . Morgan . 2018-10-18 . Explore the spectrum: Guide to finding your ace community . August 1, 2020 . glaad.org . July 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200801045947/https://www.glaad.org/amp/ace-guide-finding-your-community . live .
  23. Web site: Asexual. July 22, 2020. April 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210406125426/https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_support_center/asexual/. live.
  24. McAlister, Jodi. "First Love, Last Love, True Love: Heroines, Heroes, and the Gendered Representation of Love in the Category Romance Novel." Gender & Love, 3rd Global Conference. Mansfield College, Oxford, UK. Vol. 15. 2013
  25. 'That complete fusion of spirit as well as body': Heroines, heroes, desire and compulsory demisexuality in the Harlequin Mills & Boon romance novel. Jodi. McAlister. 1 September 2014. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. 3. 3. 299–310. 10.1386/ajpc.3.3.299_1.
  26. Web site: Why demisexuality is as real as any sexual orientation. Jessica. Klein. BBC. November 5, 2021. November 6, 2021. November 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211106150758/https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211101-why-demisexuality-is-as-real-as-any-sexual-orientation. live.
  27. Web site: Andrew Cuomo's daughter says she's demisexual. Here's what that means.. Canela. López. Insider. November 6, 2021. March 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220309223420/https://www.insider.com/andrew-cuomo-daughter-says-she-is-demisexual-what-that-means-2021-7. live.
  28. Web site: Content warning: May contain notes on the OED March 2022 update . March 15, 2022 .
  29. Yule . Morag A. . Brotto . Lori A. . Gorzalka . Boris B. . 2017 . Sexual Fantasy and Masturbation Among Asexual Individuals: An In-Depth Exploration . Archives of Sexual Behavior . 47 . 311–328 . 10.1007/s10508-016-0870-8. 27882477 . 254264133 .
  30. Karhulahti . Veli-Matti . Välisalo . Tanja . 2021 . Fictosexuality, Fictoromance, and Fictophilia: A Qualitative Study of Love and Desire for Fictional Characters . Frontiers in Psychology . 11 . 575427 . 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575427 . 33510665 . 7835123 . free .
  31. Web site: Liao . SH . 2023 . Fictosexual Manifesto: Their Position, Political Possibility, and Critical Resistance . 2023-05-23 . NTU-OTASTUDY GROUP.
  32. Book: Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives. Cerankowski. Karli June. Milks. Megan. 2014-03-14. Routledge. 978-1-134-69253-8. en. July 20, 2021. July 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200726101807/https://books.google.com/books?id=XbgTAwAAQBAJ. live.
  33. News: Williams. Isabel. Introduction to Asexual Identities & Resource Guide. Campus Pride. March 5, 2015. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20150826084407/http://www.campuspride.org/resources/introduction-to-asexual-identities-resource-guide/. August 26, 2015.
  34. Web site: Pride Flags . 2022-03-31 . The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center . en.
  35. Web site: 24 Oct 2021. 2019 Asexual Community Survey Summary Report. live. 22 Feb 2022. The Ace Community Survey. January 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220120131212/https://asexualcensus.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/2019-asexual-community-survey-summary-report.pdf.

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