Asexuality is a part of the LGBTQ+ community I don’t see talked about often, probably because it’s the easiest to hide and/or dismiss. I’d like to talk about it to try and make more people aware that it is a valid identity, partly because I am on the asexuality spectrum myself.
The first thing that many people get confused about is lumping asexuality and aromanticism together. Asexuality means one doesn’t experience sexual attraction (but not necessarily a sexual drive) to others, and aromanticism means one doesn’t experience romantic attraction to others, but they may still experience sexual attraction. Being asexual doesn’t mean you’re aromantic and vice versa. I have had plenty of crushes and want to get married someday. Aromantics can be hetrosexual, homosexual, bisexual, ect.
As I mentioned earlier, asexuality is a spectrum. I won’t get too deep into it, but it is something that is important to it. Like all sexualities, it’s a complicated subject; there are various resources for learning more about it, such as the asexuals wiki, at https://asexuals.fandom.com/wiki/Asexuals_Wikia.
Asexuality not being talked about much led to me personally being very confused when I entered that period of my life when I started noticing boys, and continued for long after. Why did I get crushes but not imagine a lot of physical aspects of a relationship outside of innocent hugs or kisses? Why did I find men handsome but never feel physically attracted to them?
The answer was given to me by a friend on Tumblr who introduced the entire concept of the asexuality spectrum to me, instead of it just being one set thing. I finally knew who I was in that regard, and didn’t feel like I was that odd; there were others in that complicated area I was in (autochorissexual specifically). So much about myself made sense, and somehow, I felt more secure and happy about myself.
Asexuals don’t face the challenges that other members of the LGBTQ+ community do, but it’s still important for it not to be erased, and that it is understood: It’s valid, it’s real, and it’s okay if that’s who you are.