Young people who define themselves as asexual have been sharing the often adverse reactions they encounter if they’re open about their lack of sexual desire, including being told they simply haven’t met the right person.
One of the most notable voices of the asexual community in the United Kingdom is 24 year old Yasmin Benoit, a model and activist who wants to raise the visibility of asexuality and aromanticism.
In an interview with a news outlet, she explained that she’s been branded a psychopath because of her sexuality and that people have assumed she’s been molested in the past to justify her absence of sexual attraction.
Yasmin said that they say that she doesn’t look asexual, and that she’s probably insecure, or that she must have been molested or must be gay, or that perhaps she’s just a psychopath.
According to asexual YouTuber Lynn Saga, 23, who uses the they/them pronoun, signs that you might be asexual if you’re not interested in intimacy, not rushing into a relationship, or having little or no crushes in your lifetime.
In a video marking Asexual Awareness Week, they opened up about how they first knew they were asexual, and that even though a tactile person, was never interested in sex and didn’t realise that was something people wanted.
They went onto say that not feeling the wanting of that sort of intimacy or feeling a connection like that is one of the biggest signs you might be asexual.
They said that teens are frequently told they haven’t met the right person yet, with people usually not accepting that they could be asexual.
Talking of growing up with different desires to their friends, Lynn went onto say that all of her friends around 15, 16 and 17 were beginning to think about getting into relationships and being boy or girl crazed and she was just sitting thinking about what those guys were on about.
British blogger Daniel Walker, 24, who runs the Slice Of Ace YouTube account told a news outlet that nine times out of 10 he has to explain to people what his sexuality means.
He’s physically affectionate with his male partner but has no desire to have sex, however, can engage in sexual activity comfortably as part of his relationship.
Shelby Grace, 27, is best known for her popular gaming videos, but has also opened up about her sexual orientation, having come out on a friend’s YouTube channel in January last year about being asexual.
It’s quite a simple concept – there’s little or no sexual desire, and some people are single and happy and don’t want to ruin that by being in a relationship.
