2.   An asexual person does not experience sexual attraction to anybody or anything.  It doesn’t mean an inability to have sexual arousal, drive, or activity – some asexual people have any or all of those things and some don’t.  Asexuality is a measure of sexual attraction only.  Non-asexual people are referred to as allosexual. Asexual people are colloquially called ‘aces.’ What Asexuality Is

3.  What Asexuality Isn’t  Impossible  Celibacy  Homophobia/Denial  Sociopathy  A medical disorder  A mental illness  Late maturity  Repression/Fear of sex  Inability to attract sexual partners  A result of sexual abuse  Attention-seeking

4.   A demisexual is a person who does not experience sexual attraction until they form a strong emotional connection with someone, often (but not always) in a romantic relationship.  Gray-A is short for gray-asexuality – anywhere in between asexuality and sexuality – low sex drive and rare or situation-specific sexual attraction, among other things. It’s a general term.  Both are considered part of the ace community. Demisexuality & Gray-A

5.   Sexual Attraction – Desire or drive to engage in sexual behavior with the object of attraction. Attraction  Intense emotional interest in an individual, interpreted as an indicator of a potential romantic relationship and physical intimacy.

6. Romantic and Sexual Orientations Not mutually inclusive or exclusive. Also: Gynsexual/gynromantic Androsexual/androromantic Wtfromantic Graphic by asexual-not-a-sexual on tumblr, who’s a star.

7.  The Kinsey Scale 0123456 X HeterosexualsHomosexuals Asexuals, breaking models since 1948

8. The Double Storms Model Sexual OrientationRomantic Orientation

9.  Poppy  On the American television show “Huge”  Aromantic (?) Asexual  June-August 2010  Gerald Tippett  On the NZ soap opera “Shortland Street”  Biromantic Asexual  2007-2010

10.  Tori Beaugrand  R. J. Anderson’s Quicksilver  Aromantic Asexual  January 1 st, 2013  Kevin  Karen Healey’s Guardian of the Dead  Asexual of unknown romantic orientation  April 1 st, 2010

11.  House  Season 8, Episode 9: Better Half  January 23, 2012

12. Real-Life Aces

13.  LGBTQI(A?)  Sometimes included as part of LGBTQIA, sometimes not  Many asexual people consider themselves members of LGBT, but many do not  Note: many people in the “Yes” group are also trans*

14.   Some members of LGBT community object to asexuality being included because they believe that:  Asexuality isn’t “real”  Asexuality promotes slut-shaming, celibacy, homophobia, and/or rape culture  Asexual people are basically straight and/or “pass”  Asexual people don’t need safe spaces  Aces share nothing with other members of the LGBT  Many major LGBT organizations do not recognize and/or include asexuality. Asexuality and LGBT

15.   Asexuality is not recognized as legitimate  Pressure to conform, perform, & put out  Romance and sex saturation in media  “Sex and/or Romance = Humanity”  “Sex = Love”  Invisibility is not passing (People use the word “asexual” in this sense a lot, and it’s a bit not good. Don’t do it.)

16. The Trevor Project  LGBTQ teen crisis helpline, circa 1998  Also provides resources to LGBTQ teens, parents & schools  Began to educate line operators about asexuality, April 2012

17.  Asexual Pride  Black Ring  Pride Flag  Ace of Spades/Hearts  Cake

18.  How To Be Ace-Friendly  Be aware  Don’t make assumptions  Be educated  Understand what asexuality is and isn’t  Don’t erase aces  Make queer spaces safe and friendly places for asexual people  Like FUSE! Yay!

19. Questions? People are weird and complicated, and that’s the best thing about us.

20. Got you covered.