Just in time for Asexual Awarneess Week, now known as Ace Week, the Trevor Project has released a new research brief highlighting the prevalence of asexuality.
According to the results of the Trevor Project’s latest National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health, about one in 10 respondents said they identify on the ace spectrum. When given additional options to describe their sexual orientation, 15% of asexual LGBTQ+ youth said they were demisexual, 9% were polyamorous, and 9% noted being greysexual. Overall, a larger proportion of asexual youth were transgender or nonbinary compared to the overall sample of LGBTQ+ youth.
Under the common definition of asexuality, people on the ace spectrum either don’t experience sexual attraction or have a minimal desire for sexual contact. An asexual individual can still be drawn to someone, date, and participate in other romantic endeavors that aren’t necessarily about sexual intercourse. There’s no uniform, monolithic experience of asexuality, however.
“While not everyone who is asexual wishes to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, LGBTQ+ youth who are asexual are an often-overlooked group,” the researchers noted in the brief. “These results show that most asexual youth who identify with the LGBTQ+ community endorse a range of sexual and romantic orientations. Additionally, more asexual youth in our sample were transgender or nonbinary compared to the overall sample of LGBTQ+ youth.”
The organization released the full results of their survey in July, which was billed as the largest survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth ever conducted. The study accounts for the experiences of nearly 40,000 LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 across the United States.
Among the survey’s myriad findings, 25% of the respondents use gender-neutral pronouns, and 40% seriously considered attempting to end their lives in the last year.
With regard to the mental health of asexual LGBTQ+ youth, the group reported slightly higher rates of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Researchers said the findings suggest that asexual youth must be included in LGBTQ+ youth outreach, as well as efforts for suicide prevention and intervention.
Ace Week was founded by activist Sara Beth Brooks back in 2010 and features a week filled with celebrations, educational workshops, and meet-ups centering people on the ace spectrum. The observance also calls into focus the stigma and barriers faced by asexual individuals, such as the absence of an asexual identity option on dating apps, attitudes that question asexuality as a legitimate identity, and notions that people within the ace spectrum shouldn’t be included within the LGBTQ+ community.
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
