Romantic and sexual orientation: Difference between revisions

Asexuality is a sexual orientation in which a person usually does not feel sexual attraction to any gender identity.<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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518113809/http://books.google.com/books?id=aVDZchwkIMEC&pg=PA82|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="Bogaert 2015">{{cite journal|last=Bogaert|first= Anthony F. |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 Asexuality is a condition characterized by a lack of sexual attraction. 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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307042644/https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115092147/https://books.google.com/books?id=mZ15AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA382|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706223115/https://books.google.com/books?id=uSiXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT124|archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> Asexuality is not the same as a lack of libido. They may have little or no interest in sexual activity, yet sexual activity is viewed independently from sexual attraction. Asexual identifying individuals may also identify, for example, as sex repulsed or sex positive or sex neutral.  Some asexual people enjoy taking part in sexual relationships, even though some 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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307111406/http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/publications/PDF/PrauseGrahamPDF.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2023 }}</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." [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305111555/http://jilliancottle.com/hallelujah-its-raining-labels] [https://web.archive.org/web/20220205075913/http://jilliancottle.com//hallelujah-its-raining-labels Archived] on 17 July 2023</ref>