Romantic and sexual orientation: Difference between revisions

Asexuality is a sexual orientation in which a person usually does not feel sexual attraction to anyone.<ref name="Sex and society">{{cite book|editor=Marshall Cavendish|title=Sex and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aVDZchwkIMEC&pg=PA82|accessdate=July 27, 2013|volume=2|year=2010|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7906-2|pages=82–83|contribution=Asexuality}}</ref><ref name="Bogaert 2015">{{cite journal|vauthors=Bogaert, AF|s2cid= 23720993 |title= Asexuality: What It Is and Why It Matters |journal=The Journal of Sex Research|volume= 52|date=April 2015 |pmid=25897566|doi=10.1080/00224499.2015.1015713|issue=4|pages=362–379}}</ref> They may have little or no interest in sexual activity.<ref name="Crooks">{{cite book|author1=Robert L. Crooks |author2=Karla Baur|title=Our Sexuality|isbn=978-1305887428|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2016|page=300|accessdate=January 4, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isIaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT300}}</ref><ref name="Helm">{{cite book|author=Katherine M. Helm|title=Hooking Up: The Psychology of Sex and Dating|isbn=978-1610699518|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2015|page=32|accessdate=January 4, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3K9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32}}</ref><ref name="Kelly">{{cite book|last = Kelly| first = Gary F.|title = Sexuality Today: The Human Perspective|edition=7|year = 2004| publisher = McGraw-Hill |isbn= 978-0-07-255835-7|page = 401|chapter  = Chapter 12 |postscript = Asexuality is a condition characterized by a low interest in sex.}}</ref> This is an enduring characteristic.<ref name="apahelp">{{cite web|title=Sexual orientation, homosexuality and bisexuality|publisher=American Psychological Association|accessdate=March 30, 2013|url=http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx}}</ref> Asexuality is not the same as celibacy, in which a person may feel sexual attraction, but intentionally chooses not to have sex.<ref name="Halter">{{cite book|author=Margaret Jordan Halter |author2=Elizabeth M. Varcarolis|title=Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing|isbn=978-1-4557-5358-1|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|year=2013|page=382|accessdate=May 7, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZ15AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA382#v=onepage}}</ref><ref name="DePaulo">{{cite journal|first=Bella|last=DePaulo|title=ASEXUALS: Who Are They and Why Are They Important?|journal=Psychology Today|date=September 26, 2011|accessdate=December 13, 2011|url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/200912/asexuals-who-are-they-and-why-are-they-important}}</ref>  Asexuality can be mistaken for aromanticism, however they are different (aromanticism is the lack of ''romantic'' attraction rather than sexual). More often than not, people use asexuality to mean something distinct from aromanticism, to say that they may feel romantic attraction, but not sexual attraction.<ref name="Richards and Barker">{{cite book|author=Christina Richards |author2=Meg Barker|title=Sexuality and Gender for Mental Health Professionals: A Practical Guide|isbn=978-1-4462-9313-3|publisher=Sage Publications|year=2013|pages=124–127|accessdate=July 3, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSiXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT124}}</ref> Some asexual people enjoy taking part in sexual relationships, even though they do not feel an instinctive need to do so.<ref name="Prause">{{cite journal|last=Prause |first=Nicole |author2=Cynthia A. Graham |s2cid=12034925 |date=August 2004 |url=http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/publications/PDF/PrauseGrahamPDF.pdf |title=Asexuality: Classification and Characterization |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |volume=36 |pages=341–356 |accessdate=August 31, 2007 |doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9142-3 |pmid=17345167 |issue=3 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014407/http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/publications/PDF/PrauseGrahamPDF.pdf |archivedate=September 27, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Many asexuals see asexuality as a queer identity, and under the umbrella of [[MOGII|marginalized orientations, gender identities, and intersex (MOGII)]], because they experience discrimination for their orientation, like lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Asexuality can also be defined as an umbrella term, which can include other kinds of sexuality labels in the asexual spectrum, such as and gray-asexuality, demisexuality, and more.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Scherrer|first=Kristin|title=Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire|journal=Sexualities|volume=11|issue=5|pages=621–641|doi=10.1177/1363460708094269|pmid=20593009|pmc=2893352|year=2008}}</ref><ref>Jillian Cottle, "Hallelujah, it's raining labels." [http://jilliancottle.com/hallelujah-its-raining-labels]</ref>

*Author [[Corey Alexander]] (demiromantic and demigraysexual)<ref name="Simkiss">{{Cite web |title=Author Interview: Xan West |author=Simkiss, Ceillie |work=Let's Fox About It |date= |access-date=5 October 2020 |url= https://letsfoxaboutit.com/author-interview-xan-west/}}</ref>