Welcome to my human asexuality file. If the words "human asexuality" mean nothing to you, don't worry, you're not alone. Even in a liberal culture where many forms of alternate sexuality are readily accepted, asexuality is virtually unheard of. In order to explain it, let's go through human sexuality step by step.
Disclaimer: This is not an academic essay. It is simply a summary of what I know about sexuality, based on a few readings, and what I learned in school.
Heterosexuality is the standard, or "normal" sexuality. Heterosexuals are sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. That is to say, heterosexual men are sexually attracted to women, and heterosexual women are sexually attracted to men. This serves a clear biological purpose, since heterosexual sex is the means by which humans produce offspring, passing down their DNA to the next generation, and ensuring their genetic survival. Approximately 90% of the human population is heterosexual.
Homosexuality is the most widely-known of the deviant sexualities. Homosexuals are sexually attracted to members of the same sex. Homosexual men are sexually attracted to other men, and homosexual women are sexually attracted to other women. This condition would seem to be counter-evolutionary, since homosexual sex is incapable of generating offspring. In spite of this, homosexuality persists in humans, and has even been documented among other animals.
Bisexuals experience both heterosexual and homosexual attraction. Bisexual men are sexually attracted to both men and women, and so are bisexual women.
Anyone who thinks that "Heterosexual", "Homosexual", and "Bisexual" are discreet classifications has a very primitive understanding of sexuality. The fact is that while these labels are useful, people often are not completely straight, completely gay, or completely bi-. Rather, sexuality is a spectrum, with heterosexuality at one end, homosexuality at the other end, bisexuality in the middle, and a whole range in between. A person who identifies as heterosexual may occasionally feel sexual attraction for members of the same sex. A person who identifies as homosexual may occasionally feel sexual attraction for members of the opposite sex. A person who identifies as bisexual may still have a slight preference for one sex over the other. People exist at all points on the sexual spectrum, ranging from very straight to very gay and everything in between. The sexual spectrum provides a much more thorough description of sexuality than simplified gay-straight or gay-straight-bi dichotomies or trichotomies.
One element of sexuality is left out of the sexual spectrum: level of sexual desire. It is often assumed that whatever their sexual preference, all people desire sex to the same degree, or at least desire it to some degree.
Asexuals are people who don't desire sex. They aren't sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. They aren't sexually attracted to members of the same sex. They aren't sexually attracted to anyone. They don't want sex. Period. Like homosexuality, asexuality would seem to be counter-evolutionary, since it is difficult to produce offspring without having sex. Nonetheless, asexuality continues to exist, just as homosexuality does. Preliminary research suggests that approximately 1% of the human population is asexual.
As with other forms of sexuality, asexuality is not a discreet category. Some people are completely a-, but others do experience some sexual attraction. Between those who are very sexual and those who are very asexual, there is a whole range of sexualities. Some sexual people experience less sex-drive than others. Some asexuals occasionally experience sexual feelings. Moreover, if a person has any sex-drive at all, it is possible that he/she will also be able to place him/herself somewhere on the sexual spectrum. A nearly asexual person may still experience some sexual attraction for members of the opposite sex, and identify as straight; or experience some sexual attraction for members of the same sex, and identify as gay; or experience sexual attraction for both sexes, and identify as bi-; or experience sexual attraction mostly for members of the opposite sex, but also a little for members of the same sex, and identify as mostly straight, but also a little bit bi-...
Sexuality is a complex thing. A simplified way of graphing it is the asexual triangle. The upper side of the triangle represents sexuality, with heterosexuality at one end, and homosexuality at the other end. Sexual people may find themselves at one end or the other of this line, or anywhere in between. The lower angle of the triangle represents asexuality. Because asexuals are not attracted to either sex, labels like "straight", "gay", and "bi-" have less and less salience as the level of sexual desire decreases, therefore the sexual spectrum becomes narrower and tapers to a single point, which is complete asexuality.
Don't believe me? I'm not surprised. A lot of people find this concept hard to accept, regardless of their other views on sexuality. However, if you go to my "Links" page, you will find links to other web sites that discuss asexuality. If you are skeptical, if you are curious, if you think you might know an asexual, and especially if you think you might be an asexual, I encourage you especially to visit AVEN: The Asexual Visibility and Education Network, which includes both a more thorough explanation of asexuality, and a huge community for asexuals.
One more thing: I know the traffic on this web site is roughly non-existent, but if you come by here and you think you are, or might be, an asexual, I'd love to hear from you. Also, if you are an asexual with a web-site, even if it has nothing to do with asexuality, I'd like to put up a link to it.