Gray asexuality

Gray asexuality or gray-sexuality (spelled "grey" in British English) is the spectrum between asexuality and sexuality.[1][2] Individuals who identify with gray asexuality are referred to as being gray-A, or a gray ace, and make up what is referred to as the "ace umbrella".[3] Within this spectrum are terms such as demisexual, semisexual, asexual-ish and sexual-ish.[4]

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A commonly used asexual pride flag, in which the gradations of gray represent intermediate sexuality

The emergence of online communities, such as the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), have given gray aces locations to discuss their orientation.[5]

Definitions

General

Gray asexuality is considered the gray area between asexuality and sexuality, in which a person may only experience sexual attraction on occasion.[1][2] The term demisexuality was coined in 2008 by Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN).[3] The prefix "demi" derives from the Latin dimidium meaning "divided in half". The term demisexual comes from the concept being described as being "halfway between" sexual and asexual.

The term gray-A covers a range of identities under the asexuality umbrella, or on the asexual spectrum, including demisexuality.[6] Other terms within this spectrum include semisexual, asexual-ish and sexual-ish.[4] The gray-A spectrum usually includes individuals who very rarely experience sexual attraction; they experience it only under specific circumstances.[2][7] Sari Locker, a sexuality educator at Teachers College of Columbia University, argued during a Mic interview that gray-asexuals "feel they are within the gray area between asexuality and more typical sexual interest".[8] A gray-A identifying individual may have any romantic orientation, because sexual and romantic identities are not necessarily linked.[3][4]

Demisexuality
The demisexual flag, in which the black chevron represents asexuality, gray represents gray asexuality and demisexuality, white represents sexuality, and purple represents community[9]

A demisexual person does not experience sexual attraction until they have formed a strong emotional connection with a prospective partner.[2][5] The definition of "emotional bond" varies from person to person.[10] Demisexuals can have any romantic orientation.[11] People in the asexual spectrum communities often switch labels throughout their lives, and fluidity in orientation and identity is a common attitude.[3]

Demisexuality is a common theme in romantic novels and has been termed compulsory demisexuality.[12] Within fictitious prose, the paradigm of sex being only truly pleasurable when the partners are in love is a trait stereotypically more commonly associated with female characters. The intimacy of the connection also allows for an exclusivity to take place.[13]

Community

Online communities, such as the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), as well as blogging websites such as Tumblr, have given ways for gray-As to find acceptance in their communities.[5][7] While gray-As are noted to have variety in the experiences of sexual attraction, individuals in the community share their identification within the spectrum.[14] A black, gray, white, and purple flag is commonly used to display pride in the asexual community. The gray bar represents the area of gray sexuality within the community.[15]

Research

Asexuality in general is relatively new to academic research and public discourse.[5]

References
  1. Bogaert, Anthony F. (January 4, 2015). Understanding Asexuality. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4422-0100-2.
  2. Decker JS (2015). "Grayromanticism". The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1510700641.
  3. McGowan, Kat (February 18, 2015). "Young, Attractive, and Totally Not Into Having Sex". Wired. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  4. Mosbergen, Dominique (June 19, 2013). "The Asexual Spectrum: Identities In The Ace Community (INFOGRAPHIC)". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  5. Buyantueva R, Shevtsova M (2019). LGBTQ+ Activism in Central and Eastern Europe: Resistance, Representation and Identity. Springer Nature. p. 297. ISBN 3030204014.
  6. Weinberg, Thomas S.; Newmahr, Staci (March 6, 2014). Selves, Symbols, and Sexualities: An Interactionist Anthology. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-2389-3.
  7. Shoemaker, Dale (February 13, 2015). "No Sex, No Love: Exploring asexuality, aromanticism at Pitt". The Pitt News. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  8. Zeilinger, Julie (May 1, 2015). "6 Actual Facts About What It Really Means to Be Asexual". Mic. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  9. Ender, Elena (June 21, 2017). "What the Demisexual Flag Really Represents A more specific, symbolic and subtle flag to wave at your pride events". Entity. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  10. "Bustle". www.bustle.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  11. "What Does It Mean To Be Demisexual And Demiromantic? - HelloFlo". HelloFlo. June 2, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  12. McAlister, Jodi. "First Love, Last Love, True Love: Heroines, Heroes, and the Gendered Representation of Love in the Category Romance Novel." Gender & Love, 3rd Global Conference. Mansfield College, Oxford, UK. Vol. 15. 2013
  13. McAlister, Jodi (September 1, 2014). "'That complete fusion of spirit as well as body': Heroines, heroes, desire and compulsory demisexuality in the Harlequin Mills & Boon romance novel". Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. 3 (3): 299–310. doi:10.1386/ajpc.3.3.299_1.
  14. Cerankowski, Karli June; Milks, Megan (March 14, 2014). Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-69253-8.
  15. Williams, Isabel. "Introduction to Asexual Identities & Resource Guide". Campus Pride. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)

Bibliography
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