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Asexual Visibility and Education Network

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Asexual Visibility and Education Network
Type of business501(c)4[1]
Type of site
Advocacy group
Virtual community
Available in16 languages
FoundedMarch 10, 2001
HeadquartersOakland, CA [2]
Founder(s)David Jay
URLasexuality.org

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded in 2001 by David Jay. Since June 2022, it has been classed as a 501(c)4 non-profit.[3] By 2021, it had 135,539 members, according to Michael Doré, one of its members in the UK who works with their project team.[4]

Purpose

When first starting the website, AVEN's main goals were "building community and… legitimising asexuality as a sexual orientation."[4]

AVEN serves simultaneously as an informational platform, a space for fostering community, and as a forum for facilitating discussion.[5][6]

Impact

Improving academic understanding of asexuality

A study performed by Kristin S. Scherrer on asexual identity was published in 2008 that focused on analyzing survey responses from 102 individuals that identified themselves as asexual.[5] This study brought asexual perspectives into academic research at a time when there was relatively little academic literature available on the topic of asexuality, and even less that approached it as an identity rather than simply a behavior or desire.

The participants for this study were found and recruited through AVEN's website. As a result, AVEN not only contributed to the potential of this study to even be performed, but also served to inform the responses given by participants. For example, when asked to describe what an asexual identity meant to them, 44% of respondents closely echoed the definition of asexuality as found on AVEN's website.[7] One respondent even referred directly to AVEN in response to this question.[5] Scherrer's study has been cited by many studies since, indicating the study and AVEN's contributions to it have had further impact on academic research.[8]

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) and the DSM-5

AVEN is responsible for the creation of the AVEN DSM Task Force. As the American Psychiatric Association began efforts to make revisions that would become the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), this task force sought to petition for changes regarding sexual desire disorders.[9][10]

Other

In 2005, an AVEN user created the trend of wearing a black ring on the right middle finger to symbolize asexuality, These are now called ace rings, and for aromantic it is a white ring on the right middle finger. These rings are worn almost like a wedding ring.[11]

In 2010, a vote was put on AVEN for an official asexuality pride flag, The one that won is the current asexual pride flag.[12]

In 2006, demisexuality was coined by AVEN users.

Activities

One of the central parts of AVEN is the community forum where users post about their experiences surrounding asexuality.[13] In an interview with Femestella, Jay highlighted the importance of such open spaces for people who are unsure of their sexuality and having support to understand themselves better.[14] The forums exist in many languages.[6]

Publication

AVEN publishes a newsletter called AVENues every four months. It collects content from the community and includes fiction, poetry, articles and also publishes discussion pieces from the forum.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Asexual Visibility and Education Network - Nonprofit Explorer". 9 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Asexual Visibility and Education Network - Nonprofit Explorer". 9 May 2013.
  3. ^ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Asexual Visibility And Education Network - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2024-02-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Klein, Jessica (May 11, 2021). "Asexuality: The ascent of the 'invisible' sexual orientation". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  5. ^ a b c Scherrer, Kristin S. (October 2008). "Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire". Sexualities. 11 (5): 621–641. doi:10.1177/1363460708094269. PMC 2893352. PMID 20593009.
  6. ^ a b Rhode Island Public Health Institute. "The Asexual Visibility and Education Network - Back On Track RI". Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  7. ^ Scherrer, Kristin S. (2008-10-01). "Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire". Sexualities. 11 (5): 621–641. doi:10.1177/1363460708094269. ISSN 1363-4607. PMC 2893352. PMID 20593009. The most common description of an asexual identity closely mirrors the definition given on AVEN's website, of asexuality as "a person who does not experience sexual attraction" (AVEN, 5-23-07). Of the eight-nine participants who responded to the question, "what does this identity mean to you?" thirty-nine, or forty-four percent, of participants said that their asexual identity means that they do not experience sexual attraction or sexual desire.
  8. ^ Scherrer, Kristin S. (October 2008). "Coming to an Asexual Identity: Negotiating Identity, Negotiating Desire". Sexualities. 11 (5): 621–641. doi:10.1177/1363460708094269. PMC 2893352. PMID 20593009.
  9. ^ Brown, Natalie B.; Peragine, Diana; VanderLaan, Doug P.; Kingstone, Alan; Brotto, Lori A. (12 May 2021). "Cognitive processing of sexual cues in asexual individuals and heterosexual women with desire/arousal difficulties". PLOS ONE. 16 (5): e0251074. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1651074B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251074. PMC 8115827. PMID 33979379.
  10. ^ Parshall, Allison (2024-01-01). "Asexuality Is Finally Breaking Free from Medical Stigma". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  11. ^ Chasin, CJ DeLuzio (2013). "Reconsidering Asexuality and Its Radical Potential" (PDF). Feminist Studies. 39 (2): 405–426. ISSN 0046-3663.
  12. ^ Gilman, Lisa (2023). "Cake is Better than Sex: Pride and Prejudice in the Folklore of and about Asexuality". Journal of Folklore Research. 60 (2): 196–228. ISSN 1543-0413.
  13. ^ "Types of Sexuality And Their Definitions - Which One Is Yours?". spectrum-id.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  14. ^ Finkel, Lena (2020-02-13). "Let's Talk Asexuality: Every Question You Ever Had About Asexuality Answered". Femestella. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  15. ^ "AVENues | The Asexual Visibility and Education Network | asexuality.org". www.asexuality.org. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
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