Asexual American history: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Asexual flag.svg|right|thumb|The Asexual pride flag]] |
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[[File:Ace-logo4.svg|thumb|left|150px|The AVEN triangle representing asexuality, originally developed by [[David Jay]]. The top line of the triangle represents the [[Kinsey scale]] with the third point representing the other dimension of sexual attraction; the grey area depicting the gradient between sexual and asexual.<ref>Jay, David. (8 March 2009) [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa1z2g_asex-101-part-1-of-3_gaylesbianAVENvideos ''Asex 101'', pt. 1 of 3, 8 March 2009 (DailyMotion)]. Retrieved 12 December 2011.</ref>]] |
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'''Asexual American history''' addresses the history of [[asexual]] people in the United States. Asexuality (sometimes called "nonsexuality")<ref name="asexual">{{cite web|title=Asexual|publisher=thefreedictionary.com| accessdate=3 December 2011|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/asexual}}</ref><ref name="nonsexual">{{cite web|title=Nonsexual| publisher=thefreedictionary.com| accessdate=3 December 2011|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nonsexual}}</ref><ref name="Harris">{{cite web|first=Lynn|last=Harris|title=Asexual and proud!|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|date=26 May 2005|accessdate=3 December 2011|url=http://www.salon.com/2005/05/26/asexual/}}</ref> is the lack of [[sexual attraction]] to anyone or low or absent interest in [[Human sexual activity|sexual activity]].<ref name= Bogaert2006>Bogaert, Anthony F. (2006). [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18172400 "Toward a conceptual understanding of asexuality"]. ''[[Review of General Psychology]]'' '''10''' (3): 241–250. Retrieved 31 August 2007.</ref><ref name="Kelly">{{cite book|last = Kelly| first = Gary F.| authormask = | authorlink = |title = Sexuality Today: The Human Perspective|url =|edition=7|series =| year = 2004 | publisher = [[McGraw-Hill]] |location=|isbn= 9780072558357|oclc = |doi =|bibcode =|id =| page = 401| pages =| nopp = | at =|chapter = Chapter 12 | chapterurl =|quote =|ref =| laysummary =|laydate =|separator=|postscript = Asexuality is a condition characterized by a low interest in sex.|lastauthoramp =}}</ref><ref name="Prause">{{cite journal|last=Prause|first=Nicole|coauthors=Cynthia A. Graham|year=2004|month=August|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=31 August 2007|doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9142-3|format=PDF|pmid=17345167|issue=3| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070927014407/http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/publications/PDF/PrauseGrahamPDF.pdf| archivedate= 27 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl= no}}</ref> It may be considered the lack of a [[sexual orientation]], or one of the four types thereof, alongside [[heterosexuality]], [[homosexuality]], and [[bisexuality]].<ref name = Bogaert2004>{{cite journal |last=Bogaert|first=Anthony F. |year=2004 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15497056 |title=Asexuality: prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample |journal=[[Journal of Sex Research]] |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=279–87|accessdate=May 12, 2013 |doi=10.1080/00224490409552235}}</ref><ref name="Sexual orientation">{{cite journal|last=Melby|first=Todd|title=Asexuality gets more attention, but is it a sexual orientation?|journal=Contemporary Sexuality|year=2005|month=November|volume=39|issue=11|pages=1, 4–5| issn = 1094-5725 | url = http://www.apositive.org/wordpress_backup/?page_id=222 |archiveurl = http://archive.is/z19E| archivedate = 29 Jun 2012<!-- 00:17:32 -->|accessdate=20 November 2011 | postscript = [http://journalseek.net/cgi-bin/journalseek/journalsearch.cgi?field=title&query=1094-5725 The journal currently does not have a website]}}</ref><ref name="Sex and society">{{cite book|title=Sex and Society|volume=2|page=82|isbn=978-0-7614-7905-5|publisher=[[Marshall Cavendish]]|year=2009|editor=Marshall Cavendish Corporation|contribution=Asexuality|accessdate=February 2, 2013|url=http://books.google.com/?id=aVDZchwkIMEC&pg=PA82&dq=Sexual+orientations+are+typically+thought+of+as+being+heterosexual,+homosexual,+or+bisexual.#v=onepage&q=Sexual%20orientations%20are%20typically%20thought%20of%20as%20being%20heterosexual%2C%20homosexual%2C%20or%20bisexual.&f=false}}</ref> |
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==1948-Present== |
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In the 1948 and 1953 Kinsey Reports, written by Dr. [[Alfred Kinsey]], a category "X" was added to the [[Kinsey scale]], indicating those with "no socio-sexual contacts or reactions.” <ref name="KinseyAlfred">Kinsey, Alfred C. (1948). Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. W.B. Saunders. ISBN 0-253-33412-8</ref><ref name="KinseyAlfred" /><ref>Kinsey, Alfred C. (1953). Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. W. B. Saunders ISBN 025333411X</ref> |
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A 1977 paper titled ''Asexual and Autoerotic Women: Two Invisible Groups'', by Myra T. Johnson, may be the first paper explicitly devoted to asexuality in humans. Johnson defines asexuals as those men and women "who, regardless of physical or emotional condition, actual sexual history, and marital status or ideological orientation, seem to ''prefer'' not to engage in sexual activity." She contrasts autoerotic women with asexual women: "The asexual woman [...] has no sexual desires at all [but] the autoerotic woman [...] recognizes such desires but prefers to satisfy them alone." Johnson's evidence is mostly letters to the editor found in women's magazines written by asexual/autoerotic women. She portrays them as invisible, "oppressed by a consensus that they are nonexistent," and left behind by both the sexual revolution and the feminist movement. Society either ignores or denies their existence or insists they must be ascetic for religious reasons, neurotic, or asexual for political reasons.<ref>"Asexual and Autoerotic Women: Two Invisible Groups" found in ed. Gochros, H.L.; J.S. Gochros (1977). ''The Sexually Oppressed. Associated Press.'' ISBN 978-0-8096-1915-3</ref> |
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The two-dimensional model of erotic orientation, proposed by Michael D. Storms of the University of Kansas in 1979, included asexuality, this time as the low end of the two separate axes of hetero- and homo-eroticism. <ref>Storms, Michael D. (1979). "Sexual Orientation and Self-Perception." ed. Pliner, Patricia et al. Advances in the Study of Communication and Affect. Volume 5: Perception of Emotion is Self and Others Plenum Press.</ref> <ref>Storms, Michael D. (1980). "Theories of Sexual Orientation". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 38: 783-792.</ref> |
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In a study published in 1983, Paula Nurius of the University of Washington examined the relationship between mental health and sexual orientation by surveying a non-random sample of 689 people, primarily college students.<ref>Nurius, Paula. (1983). "Mental Health Implications of Sexual Orientation" The Journal of Sex Research 19 (2) pp.119-136.</ref> The study focused on heterosexuality and homosexuality, but also included bisexuality and asexuality as sexual orientations. The results of the questionaires showed that the asexuals surveyed had a comparatively lower actual frequency and desired frequency of sexual activity. Nurius also found that, within this sample, asexuals were slightly more prone to have problems with depression, low self-esteem, and sexual discord. |
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Until the development of the internet, asexuals seldom had ways to connect with each other and share their experiences. In the early and mid 90s, people would occasionally post on sexuality-related newsgroups expressing their identification with asexuality or their lack of sexual attraction, but search functions were not effective enough, making it difficult to locate people with similar experiences.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/soc.couples/browse_thread/thread/2ce8652a9e8c4bfd/73727922e56309ef?hl=en&q=asexuality#73727922e56309ef</ref><ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.shyness/browse_thread/thread/96a62bde892de1ce/247e0a43d4d49f7?hl=en&q=asexuality#</ref><ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.answers.human-sexuality/browse_thread/thread/2339393761068e7/3a2d83de9736cf7a?hl=en&q=asexuality#3a2d83de9736cf7a</ref> Additionally, common vocabulary and definitions for discussing asexuality had not yet developed, so a variety of words, including antisexuality, asexuality, celibacy, and nonsexuality, were being used to describe the asexual identity. <ref>Jay, David. (2003). The Computer in the Closet – Online Collective Identity Formation http://web.archive.org/web/20040712040017/http://www.asexuality.org/AVENpaper.pdf</ref> |
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The first online asexual community may be the comments section of an article titled “[http://web.archive.org/web/20030210212218/http://dispatches.azstarnet.com/zoe/amoeba.htm My life as an amoeba]” by Zoe O'Reilly, published by StarNet Dispatches on May 30, 1997.<ref>O'Reilly, Zoe. (199)7. My life as an amoeba. StarNet Dispatches. http://web.archive.org/web/20030210212218/http://dispatches.azstarnet.com/zoe/amoeba.htm</ref><ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20050417012718/http://dispatches.azstarnet.com/zoe/amoeba2.htm</ref> |
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On October 12, 2000, a Yahoo group for asexuals, [[Haven for the Human Amoeba]] (HHA), was founded. The group was structured as an email list and in August of 2001, there were enough regular members that activity increased to several messages everyday. It was at this time that a member of the group, in hopes of starting an asexual web-ring, contacted [[David Jay]], who had by this time created the main page for AVEN, and he joined the discussion on Haven for the Human Amoeba. Various members created their own websites as part of the web-ring.<ref>Haven for the Human Amoeba. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/havenforthehumanamoeba/</ref> |
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[[David Jay]] created a page about asexuality on his university webspace in March 2001. It was initially to be called the Human Asexual Visibility and Education Network (HAVEN), but this was later shortened to the [[AVEN|Asexual Visibility and Education Network]] (AVEN). At this time, it was a page giving a definition of asexuality and asking for email from those who identified with the definition.<ref>Early AVEN Internet Archive Capture, March 2002 http://web.archive.org/web/20020324180619/http://djay.web.wesleyan.edu/</ref> As membership and activity in the Haven for the Human Amoeba increased, the email-based structure of Haven for the Human Amoeba became cumbersome. Every comment made was emailed to the whole group, with no possible way of forming separate threads. There was demand for a website on asexuality with a better community structure, and several websites emerged with differing ideologies and definitions of asexuality. |
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Another Livejournal group, the [[Livejournal Asexuality|LiveJournal Asexuality Community]], was created on the 28th of April 2002 by [http://36.livejournal.com 36|Nat] aka AVEN member [[user:paranoidgynandroid|Paranoid Gynandroid]] in response to sex-negative posts on the Livejournal Asexuals Community. Nat had become involved in discussions of asexuality as an orientation through the early genderqueer/third gender community, in particular a mailing list called Sphere, and had founded the LiveJournal Asexuality Community independently of Haven for the Human Amoeba and AVEN. Pre-dating the creation of the AVEN forum by a month, this was the first explicitly [[sex-positive]] asexual discussion community. Designed to be inclusive, descriptions such as 'little or no sex drive' and 'living without sexuality' were used on this group, and Nat defined asexuality in terms of sexual orientation.<ref>Apositive discussion. (2010). History: nonlibidoism society http://apositive.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=448&start=0#p4535</ref> |
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AVEN was reconstructed in the hopes of becoming a more inclusive option, based in [[sex-positive|sex-neutrality]] and the belief that anyone who identifies as asexual is [[Collective identity model|validly asexual]], regardless of [[sex drive]] or other factors. On May 29th, 2002, the AVEN forum was started and a day later AVEN was moved to a new domain name, asexuality.org. Jay contacted Nat in May 2002, and soon the LiveJournal Asexuality Community linked to AVEN on its profile. In July and August, working with Jay, Nat wrote the [http://web.archive.org/web/20030225191733/www.asexuality.org/bigfaq.htm original AVEN FAQ] to be an inclusive and sex-positive outline of asexuality and was involved in the formation of the early AVEN forum community. This FAQ is still the basis for the General FAQ of AVEN today. |
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The second AVEN forum administrator was instated in July 2002 because Jay was travelling to Ghana in the fall. The forum at this point had about 100 members. Later, elections were held to select moderators for the site, and this practice continues to the present. |
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[[David Jay]] first organized the production and distribution of t-shirts to promote asexual awareness in February 2003.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2003). [http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/398-buy-t-shirts/ Buy T-shirts!!]</ref> On Mar 21st, 2004 the first [[AVEN store]] on CafePress was opened to supply visibility materials such as t-shirts. This store was not intended to make a profit, and is still maintained today.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2004). [http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/2758-aven-online-store-open-for-business/ AVEN online store open for business]</ref> |
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The cake emoticon in the AVEN forum was first suggested on June 23rd, 2004, and drawn on the same day by Live R Perfect.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2004). What AVEN needs most http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?showtopic=3513</ref> The tradition and popularity of cake on AVEN had been around for some time before then. Cake is also given for congratulations, comfort, or when a poster does something particularly [[asexy]]. This has lead to cake being an unofficial asexual symbol, which is often explained to newcomers on AVEN by the notion that many asexuals would prefer cake to sex. |
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On June 17, 2005, Shockwave suggested a black ring in an AVEN thread about showing asexual pride. Wearing a black ring on the middle finger of the right hand has since been adopted by many individuals as an unofficial symbol of their asexuality.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2005). show your pride http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/9175-show-your-pride/</ref> |
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The first AVENwiki was started in September 2005,<ref>http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/11282-aven-wiki-new-toy/</ref> but was abandoned in favor of the second later that year, and the [http://www.asexuality.org/AVENwiki/ second version], experienced technical problems.<ref>http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/14605-glossary/page__p__395419#entry395419</ref>. On September 3, 2006, this wiki was created.<ref>http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/17071-aven-wiki/</ref><ref>http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/18453-3-2-1-wiki/</ref> The current AVENwiki is thus the third version of AVEN's wikipedia. |
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The [[AVEN Project Team]] was proposed by [[AVENguy]] on June 6th, 2006 to aid in the organization of visibility projects, and in expanding and improving AVEN. <ref>AVEN discussion. (June 2006).[http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/16670-proposal-for-general-review-aven-project-team/ Proposal for General Review: AVEN Project Team]</ref> |
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The first issue of the [[AVENues]] newsletter was published on September 27th, 2006 and continued to be produced until mid 2009. When Hallucigenia, the original editor of the newsletter, did not run for re-election for the AVEN Project Team in September 2009, AVENues went on hiatus as the new Project Team did not get enough submissions to continue publishing. After the next Project Team elections in 2010, Arielle successfully re-launched AVENues in a magazine-style format in starting that October. |
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At the end of October 2006, AVEN's hosting provider, Bluehost, changed its terms of service to prohibit discussion of “anything related to human sexuality” and suspended service to AVEN with no warning on November 4th.<ref>Heaton, M. (October 25, 2006). [http://www.mattheaton.com/?p=58 Adult hosting…] Bluehost Blog.</ref> A temporary board, [http://avenitesunite.proboards.com/index.cgi? AVENites Unite!], was established by AVEN moderators, and members of the community notified others of this board through various methods, including instant messages and an announcement on Wikipedia.<ref>Asexuality article on Wikipedia. (November 5, 2006). http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asexuality&diff=85794108&oldid=85781371</ref> The administrators created a temporary main page on asexuality.org which contained static content and directed users to the AVENites Unite! forum. AVEN was then transferred to a dedicated server with a different host, bocacom.net, and the forums were restored as of November 11th.<ref>AVENues. (November, 2006). News from November. Issue 3. http://www.asexuality.org/avenues/2006_11_25.pdf</ref><ref>Lecorchick, A. (November, 2006). That which does not kill us. AVENues, Issue 3.</ref><ref>Various AVENites Unite! discussions. (November, 2006). http://avenitesunite.proboards.com/index.cgi?</ref> |
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In June 2008, [[David Jay]] met with [[Mara Keisling]], the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, who suggested that the asexual community consider contacting the committee discussing changes in the sexual disorders section of the DSM-V.<ref>Jay, D. (June 06, 2008). At the table. Love from the Asexual Underground.http://asexualunderground.blogspot.com/2008/06/la-mesa.html</ref> Jay recruited Mandrewliter, and later a small group of other AVENites to help promote dialogue with the DSM sexual dysfunction workgroup in hopes of amending the definition of Hyposexual Desire Disorder to be more accommodating of asexuality as an orientation.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2008). DSM Fireside Chat: Video update of the DSM Taskforce http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/36841-dsm-fireside-chat/</ref> |
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In 2009, AVEN members participated in the first asexual entry into an American pride parade when they walked in the San Francisco Pride Parade.<ref>Rufus, A. (June 22, 2009). Asexuals at the Pride Parade. Psychology Today: Stuck. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stuck/200906/asexuals-the-pride-parade</ref> They also entered the 2010 parade, and marched in San Francisco Pride in 2011. |
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As of 2010, asexuals were included in the list of sexual orientations categorized as a protected category in Vermont as of 2010.<ref>Vermont Human Rights Commission. (2010). [http://hrc.vermont.gov/sites/hrc/files/pdfs/harassment%20docs/gender_sex_sexual_orientation_definitions.pdf Gender, Sex, Sexual orientation definitions.]</ref> |
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On June 17th, 2010, the New York State Division of Human Rights updated its discrimination complaint form to include asexuals in the protected sexual orientation category.<ref>New York State Division of Human Rights. (2010). [http://www.dhr.state.ny.us/pdf/complaint-form.pdf New York State Division of Human Rights Complaint Form.]</ref> Asexuals are included under the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA).<ref>New York State Civil Rights Bureau. [http://www.ag.ny.gov/bureaus/civil_rights/sonda_brochure.html SONDA brochure.]</ref> |
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In July 2010, several AVENites took the initiative to push for serious discussion of the development of a [[asexual flag|flag]] to represent asexuality as a sexual orientation and for use as a visibility tool. This lead to outreach to asexual communities beyond AVEN for input on the flag design, and in August a flag with four horizontal stripes of equal size was voted in on a surveying site.<ref>AVEN discussion. (2010). Asexual Flag: And the winner is..... http://www.asexuality.org/en/index.php?/topic/53435-asexual-flag-and-the-winner-is/</ref> The black stripe represents asexuality, the grey stripe grey-asexuality and demisexuality, the white stripe sexuality, and the purple stripe community. |
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==Notable American asexuals== |
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*[[David Jay]] is an asexual activist. <ref name=guardian>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/26/among-the-asexuals|title=Among the asexuals|author= Rosie Swash|publisher=[[The Guardian]]|date= 26 February 2012|accessdate=2012-02-27}}</ref> |
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* [[Janeane Garofalo]] is a stand-up comedian, actor, liberal political activist and writer. She came out as asexual in 2010. <ref>{{cite news|first=J.M.|last=Suarez|title='Janeane Garofalo: If You Will': 'Life Is Too Long to Worry About the Afterlife'|publisher=[[PopMatters]]|date=October 4, 2010|accessdate=November 1, 2012|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/131684-janeane-garofalo-if-you-will}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Category:Non-sexuality]] |
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[[Category:Sexual orientation]] |
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[[Category:Sexual attraction]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:49, 15 July 2013
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