Today is the first day of Ace Week, an annual celebration of all people who fall under the umbrella of asexuality.
Originally launched as Asexual Awareness Week in 2010, the initiative marks an opportunity to raise awareness of the spectrum of asexual identities, also known as Ace.
US-based advocacy group Asexual Outreach describe asexuality as “a sexual orientation where a person experiences little to no sexual attraction to anyone and/or does not experience desire for sexual contact.”
“There are some people who may not fit the strictest definition of the word asexual but nonetheless feel their experience aligns with asexuality in some way.”
These may include graysexuality, where sexual attention is rare or intermittent, or demisexual, where sexual attraction is usually only coupled with a strong emotional connection.
Asexuality has become much more visible in recent years. Research on diversity in sexuality among students saw 1% of respondents identify as asexual, comparable to gay or lesbian students at 1.6%
You can also learn more about asexuality, ace folks and connect with community through the Australian Asexuals organisation.
