Asexuality: The Rise of Sexual Orientation invisible
La Asexual Awareness Week is an international campaign that is held annually during the second half of October, it was created by the activist Sarah Beth Brooks in 2010. The main goal of this week is to educate about the experiences of asexual people.
La asexuality is a sexual orientation, in the same way as with other sexual orientations, the experience of asexual people is unique and unrepeatable, it is for this reason that we speak of asexual spectrum that encompasses different nuances and degrees, such as the graysexuality (occasionally sexual attraction is felt) or the demisexuality (sexual attraction is felt when there is a great emotional connection).
It is estimated that 1% of the population considers themselves asexual, a figure that could be higher since there is a lot of ignorance and therefore many people do not identify as asexual.
«Asexual people, in general, are those who do not feel sexual attraction or desire towards other people. They can and do develop more types of third-party attractions, such as aesthetic or intellectual attraction, but it definitely won't be sexual. This does not mean, for example, that they do not express that someone may seem attractive to them, nor that they cannot have and do have sexual or intimate relationships with other people, understanding intimacy all the components that a relationship has (complicity, affection, affection, kisses , hugs…)«, explains the psychologist Paula Alcaide on your blog.
The objectives of Asexual Awareness Week are:
- Promote the understanding that there is a diversity of sexual and romantic orientations, including asexuality and aromanticism.
- Help people on the asexual and aromantic spectrum not feel lonely or "flawed."
- Help other people to really understand what asexuality and aromanticism mean and debunk the myths about these issues.
- Promote the understanding that love and sex are not intrinsically related and that the lack of one does not make the other less important.
- Promote the understanding that aromantic people can feel non-romantic love.
- Disseminate information about the forms of violence and discrimination that affect asexual and aromantic people.
- Help decrease these forms of violence, including sexual harassment and abuse.
- Help people know how to support these communities.
- Disseminate contact information for support groups to those who need them.