All throughout my life I have experienced a lack of something. I was not sure what it was until a few years ago. During my junior year of high school, I discovered that everyone around me seemed to be fairly preoccupied with the concept of sex, while I sat back in confusion. So I did some digging. Turns out, there is such a thing as not feeling any sexual attraction. This is called asexuality.

Now before you start on the whole "so, do you reproduce by budding?" thing, let me elaborate. Being asexual and asexual reproduction are two entirely different things. They do not cross paths in the human experience.

Asexuality is often marginalized, and those who identify as asexual are usually treated like there is something wrong with them when, in fact, there is not. Just like any other sexual orientation, asexuality is a valid identity. About one percent of the human population, which is roughly 70 million people, are asexual. Now, I do not know about you, but that seems like quite a few people to me. It is almost like it actually exists.

Not everyone likes to accepts this, though. There are many people, even in the LGBTQIA+ community, that think asexuality does not exist, or that it takes attention away from other, "more important" issues. We get ridiculed, insulted, and even pitied. I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked "How do you know if you've never tried it" or "Have you been medically tested?" or "How can you live without sex?" All of these questions, my dear friends, are insulting and rude. You would not ask a heterosexual person any of these questions, so do not ask an asexual.

While this is not the most important issue plaguing our society, I hope that you take this article and its contents into consideration the next time you encounter someone who is asexual. If you have any questions or want to know about any resources for asexuals, such as www.asexuality.org (AVEN) or any books with asexual main characters, feel free to contact me.