The 5 types of Asexuality (and their characteristics)

Today there is a much greater awareness than years ago of the existence of various sexual orientations. Tolerance of this reality has been imposed on the traditional heterocentrism. In the past, there was a general assumption that the majority of the population had a heterosexual orientation, so that everything outside the norm (homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals ...) was crossed out as pathological. Although fortunately this thinking has changed for a large part of the western population, there is still an orientation that we could qualify as the great unknown: asexuality.

Although some have tried to qualify asexuality as a disease, recently it has begun to be widely investigated and qualified as just another sexual orientation. Asexual people lack a sexual drive, although they may experience romantic attraction to other people. Many asexual people are forced, in a way, to maintain relationships despite the lack of desire. This is because many wish to have children or simply want to satisfy their non-asexual partner.

Asexuality itself is not a problem. However, rejection and ignorance of others can generate additional suffering in the person. In fact, many asexual people take years to discover their sexual orientation, as this possibility is never discussed. All this can seriously affect the psychological well-being of the person and their relationships.

If you have never heard about this matter and want to know about it, you are in the right place. In this article we will try to inquire about what asexuality is, what characteristics can be observed in someone with this type of sexual orientation and the types of asexuality existing.

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What is asexuality?

Asexuality is a type of sexual orientation in which the person lacks sexual desire towards other people. The person may be romantically, intellectually, or emotionally attracted to others, but has no desire to have sex with them. Asexual people do not have relationships with other people as a general rule.

However, they can masturbate, especially men. However, masturbation is not experienced the same as in sexual people, since it does not respond to a specific stimulus. Rather, it is experienced as a physiological need that must be satisfied with a certain frequency. Since it is a sexual orientation, the most common is that asexuality remains throughout the person's life. However, then we will review the different types and see how there are certain nuances depending on each individual.

Due to the lack of information about asexuality and the stigma that surrounds this condition, it is common that it is not recognized until after a while. For this reason, it is important to know those signs that may indicate that a person is asexual in order to facilitate understanding and support and avoid unnecessary suffering derived from external factors (misunderstanding, feeling tried, question your sexual orientation, consider that you suffer from a disease that should be treated, etc).

The most common signs that are associated with asexuality are the following:

• Absence of sexual attraction.
• Not experiencing desire for sexual contact even after abstinence time.
• Live relationships from pressure or duty and not from desire and enjoyment.
• Having doubts about sexual orientation, since the person does not feel desire for other people and perceives that they do not fit into established social schemes.
• Perceive an emotional connection that is not proportional to physical / sexual desire.

It should be noted that there is an important difference between asexuality and celibacy. In the first case, the person does not have relationships because she does not feel the desire for it. However, in the second there is desire, only that for reasons of a different nature (for example, religion), the person must make an effort to repress it in order to remain celibate.

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How are the relationships of an asexual person?

The fact that a person is asexual and, therefore, does not feel sexual desire, raises many questions about relationships and the possibility of having a normal love life. As we discussed before, asexual people lack a sex drive, although they may be emotionally and romantically attracted. This implies that, of course, they can fall in love and establish romantic bonds with other people.

On the other hand, although they do not feel sexual desire towards other people, within the framework of the couple they can reach certain agreements that satisfy both parties. That is, determine a frequency in relationships that adjusts to the needs and desires of both in a balanced way. In this sense, and as in any couple relationship, there must be open and fluid communication, so that the asexual member feels respected by the other.

What kinds of asexuality are there?

Although we have been talking about asexuality in general terms, the truth is that each person lives and manages their absence of sexual desire in a different way. There is no consensus regarding the classification of the existing types, although here we show the most frequent:

1. Aromantic asexuals

Asexuals of this type do not experience sexual desire or feel the need to maintain romantic relationships with others.. Generally, they are not willing to show sentimental interest in someone specific. Aromantic asexuals are often assumed to be cold people, devoid of feelings or unable to relate to others. However, this is not the case at all. An aromatic asexual can maintain social relationships with other people, only he does not want to maintain intimate relationships with a partner.

2. Romantic asexuals

They are that, Despite lacking sexual desire, they want to maintain relationships with a partner. This type of orientation tells us that, indeed, love and desire can be given separately. Unlike the common idea of ​​romantic love, feelings for another person do not necessarily have to involve sexual attraction. Romantic asexuals can, in turn, form four different types:

2.1. Heteromantic

This type of asexual is attracted to establish romantic relationships with people of the opposite sex.

2.2. Homoromantic

Homoromantic people are asexual with a preference for same-sex relationships.

23. Biromantic

This type refers to asexuals who experience the same attraction for both sexes.

2.4. Panromantic

The attraction in this type of asexuality does not depend on the sex or gender of the other personFeelings are simply experienced towards another individual, without major conditioning factors. In addition to the types of asexuality that we have discussed, there are also some sexual orientations that bear certain similarities to asexuality.

• Demisexuality: This type of orientation consists in that the person feels sexual attraction only when he experiences romantic feelings towards the other. That is, sexual attraction is a by-product of a more primal feeling. Therefore, if that emotional connection does not occur, the person cannot feel desire.

• Gray-asexuality: This type of orientation is somewhat peculiar, since it is not a stable state but an oscillating one. The gray-asexual person finds himself in a continuous back and forth between asexuality and sexuality. Therefore, it is common to alternate periods where the person experiences desire to have sex with others in which it disappears.

Conclusions

In this article we have delved into a very little known aspect: asexuality. Society has taken important steps in favor of the LGBT community. However, much remains to be done on issues related to equality and the rights of non-heterosexual people. Especially, in this article we wanted to focus on one of the most forgotten orientations: asexuality.

Asexuality has received little research attention until just a few years ago, and relevant questions about this sexual orientation are now beginning to be clarified. Asexual people run into a lot of misinformation, which leads to enormous confusion and uncertainty.

Having a non-normative sexual orientation is not easy many times, but the stigma that surrounds asexual people is especially devastating on many occasions. In many moments, the person experiences suffering not so much because of her sexual condition in herself, but because of the external pressures that she receives from the environment. Many asexuals who have established romantic relationships have seen how their lack of desire has cost them the breakup and the inability to establish stable relationships.

On the other hand, there are still archaic beliefs related to asexuality. It has come to be considered by some as a disease, although, as we have said, this alternative has been discarded in recent years. Asexuals often find themselves misunderstood by others, since the absence of desire is inconceivable for sexual people. They also have to tolerate comments that suggest that perhaps their "defect" can be addressed or reversed in some way.

In this article we want to capture a very different point of view. Instead of depositing the problem on the person, we understand that psychoeducation of the population on this type of subject is crucial, since only in this way can they be understood and respected. This article is an attempt to contribute to this end.

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