Asexuality: A Brief Overview

In 2014, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) conducted a census of the asexual community, receiving over 14,000 responses. Results showed that the most common age of self-recognition of an asexual identity is 17 years old. Further, 25.1% of asexual people have never come out, and for the 74.9% of those who have, the most common age of first disclosure is 19. These two statistics show that asexual individuals are first recognizing their asexual identity and coming out to others (if they come out at all) during a time that they will possibility be attending higher education institutions. This makes it crucial for asexual representation and understanding within identity-based departments and organizations of higher education. Participants will gain knowledge of asexuality and the need to build ally curriculum at their own institutions.

Learning Outcomes

 Participants will:

• learn terminology important for understanding asexual identity; 
• develop an understanding of the coming out process and timeline for asexual individuals; and
• create a framework to develop and implement an asexuality workshop.