multitudes

Last month was a great discussion about manifestos that got me thinking about how the ace community has spread visibility materials using the very familiar definition of asexuality posted on AVEN: 

"An asexual is someone who doesn't experience sexual sexual attraction." 

But there are lots of definitions of asexuality that exist even on the AVEN website. A few interesting definitions I was able to find on google: 

"Someone who experiences little to no sexual attraction and/or desire for partnered sex."

"Asexuality is a part of the asexual spectrum, and is defined by a lack of sexual attraction. Asexual experiences may also include: not wanting to have sex, not being interested in sex, not experiencing a sex drive/libido, or being repulsed by sex." (https://lgbta.wikia.org/wiki/Asexual

"The most inclusive definition of an asexual individual is a person who self-identifies as an asexual individual, a person who does not experience sexual attraction, not merely the lack of attraction itself" (https://www.e-ir.info/2019/08/22/asexuality-the-internet-and-the-changing-lexicon-of-sexuality/)

"Asexual, noun; a person who is free from sexual desires or sexuality." (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/asexual)

"Someone who’s asexual experiences little to no sexual attraction. [. . .] However, everyone has a different experience with being asexual, and asexuality can mean different things to different people." (https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-asexual#Being-asexual-means-different-things-to-different-people)


So my prompt this month is "multitudes," for the multitudes of reasons people identify with asexual and multitudes of definitions to cover them. Some suggestions on how you can answer this is listed below, but feel free to talk about whatever comes to mind from this post! 

Some ideas: 

What do you consider part of your asexual identity beyond the definition established by AVEN? 

How has different aspects of your identity and it's relationship to the definition changed or not changed over time?

If you would define your asexual identity for yourself, would you change the definition? Would you add more things? Take some away? Clarify? 

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I'll post my own response in a few weeks, followed up by the round up post. Submit your links in the comments or send me an email at cataclysmicwonder@gmail.com and I'll include it in the linkspam I'll post on Halloween. Happy October! 

Comments

  1. My submission (if it counts) is here: https://theacetheist.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/a-condensed-history-of-asexuals-arguing-with-asexuals-over-what-asexuality-is/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wrote a thing. Well, I started writing a thing and then it kinda dissolved into rambling per usual and then I tried to yank it back on track. Still, here is: https://strangeperspectivesonstuff.wordpress.com/2020/10/28/definitions-between-fun-and-frustration/

    ReplyDelete
  3. https://charcharcharace.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-meditation-on-multitudes.html

    A calm meditation on the ace umbrella.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My submission! https://twitter.com/5tephendeadalu5/status/1323305031635001344

    -CPB

    ReplyDelete

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