Does asexuality run in your family?

[Whispearl]

It doesn't run in mine, no. I know that because they were all completely baffled by the concept of it when I brought it up.

[Xavy]

Doesn't run in mine

[gymgirl]

It definitely does in our family (sensu latu) where almost all females are asexual. So consistently that it is considered absolutely normal and expected. Partners are chosen without any sexual interest involved, staying single and therefore celibate is a valid, even attractive option for many girls. That is not meant to say it is all genetical, however. There is certainly often an inherited disposition, but whether it will unfold depends on the circumstances. And a female's upbringing in our family is from birth on always radically antisexual, as our tradition demands.

So even a weak inclination towards asexuality will be strengthened and encouraged, therefore flourish and prevail over other impulses.

People might object that this is the result of social pressure. It cannot be denied that it plays a certain role, but mainly as an influence during a girl's youth. When her sense of right and wrong is developing, she internalises the attitudes which are so unswervingly impressed upon her by all adults around her. So far I have never met a girl or woman in our family who just pretends to be asexual or antisexual. If they are sexual, they just leave the tradition. It very rarely happens, I have only heard of it. Their relationship towards family may be a bit strained as they are considered to be of somewhat loose morals, but they are not expulsed, disinherited or such.

Sorry for the digression.

[Perseus]

Very good question. I don't really know if it runs in the family. It would be interesting to find out.

[Jess_221B]

I can't be sure, because no one talks about their sexuality at all in my family, but I think that my Grandmother is ace. She is also religious though, so it's kind of hard to tell whether she is actually asexual, or if she is following the rules of her religion(she isn't married, so no sex.)

I also think my youngest sister is ace. I also think she's aromantic, because she has never shown any interest in dating anyone. She has never kissed anyone, and doesn't seem to want to, and doesn't even like romance in fiction. When I came out to her though, she didn't say anything about herself, but I really do think she's ace.

So, if I'm right, that is 3 of us in my family. I could be wrong about either of them, but I don't think I am.

[FiddleKid]

No i'm the only one I think.

[AceInhibitor]

Maybe. I wonder sometimes. I mean there's quite a few people in my family who never married or have partners are anything although that doesn't mean they're ace of course but perhaps they are. Or aro. I doubt it's an 'asexuality being genetic' thing but I wonder if it's far more common than people think.

[GoldenaLy]

Nope, I'm the only one I've ever known.

[Sutoriku]

My Mum is Demi, my sister identifies as asexual and I identify as aroace ^^

[Antonnotna]

I don't know. There are a few people on my mums side of the family that I suspect could be ace. I really doubt there's anyone on my dads side though. It would be interesting to find out.

[Sarika]

I wouldn't be surprised if there are epigenetic factors at all. My maternal family shows some interesting signs. Great granmother married in her late twenties (and from stories I heard there might have been pressure to settle. She was an independent woman before then), and when her husband died 20 years later she had no intention of marrying again, and never did. In fact her three children had huge age gaps. Mom has assumed for years she might have been a lesbian, but now I wonder if she feel into the ace spectrum. We'll never know I suppose. My grandma and her brother and sister were all hetrosexuals, so we can skip that generation. Of my mother and her four siblings, one is a lesbian, one is highly suspected of being queer and only recently came out as a cross dresser (no one seemed to care, though he seemed to be embarsed to explain to his 70+ mother), a perpetual batchlor, and my mom and aunt who've both dated exclusively men, married and had kids.

I'm an only child, and my two cousins are about 6&8 years younger then me. While I'm not close to my cousins due to family friction, not any dislike on our parts, none of us have been in any long term relationships, and every now and then my mom ask if I think my female cousin might be gay. This is due to her showing exclusive attention on FB to her female besties. I said I doubted it, she's a basketball player, and teams are very tight knit in the college arena and now she helps coach, and I recall her having a boyfriend before and if she was gay it would be silly in our family not to just come out. Though I wonder -if- she were ace spectrum that could be another factor of her becoming a Christian. Once again I'm sure the tight knit team comradery from HS was the major reason, but I could see the appeal in being able to say, no sex before marriage for religious reasons. You don't have to explain yourself, it's the way things are! Heck I know feeling like if it were not for the fact that my family is no longer following Catholicism, being a nun wouldn't have been too hard for me to become. I'm too agnostic for that though.

This site causes me a lot of introspection!

[HanBanan]

Asexuality (or the predisposition towards it) could easily be hereditary. Most married asexuals probably have sex at least a little bit, and being asexual doesn't necessarily mean that you don't want to have biological children (I've seen plenty of aces on here who do). I don't think my asexuality comes from my genes, but I do think that it can.

[aliveinwords]

I think my mom is probably somewhere close to Demi. I know that she's only been with my dad and she doesn't enjoy sex, but she has it when he wants to. She's also a bit of a prude, but that could be cause of her really conservative religious upbringing.

[Darth Tribble]

I am a male and a gray ace, but most of the males in my family were really wild around my age. So no, it doesn't

[PatheticGirl]

I too feel it could be genetic... Our parents are from more conservative world and hence they don't understand these terms much... for them life was getting married and having children... so, all was good... woman just abide their husband... sex was needed for having children and so may not have been traumatic...

[kelico]

I don't know of anyone in my family being "officially" asexual, as in being out or actually knowing for sure. But I've suspected that one of my aunts is...she is definitely aromantic! And probably asexual. I'm just not that close to my relatives outside of my immediate family...and as far as I know, no one is ace. I think one of my brothers is aromantic, but again, not sure about being asexual. I only know about me, haha. : )

[EmiRose4]

I actually found out that I was Ace, and when I came out to my mom, she paused and said "Hey, I am that way too..." And after a long conversation, she decided that she was Ace too!

[CNGB]

To answer the question, I really don't know. My family doesn't hang out with the other members all that well, so I dunno. I know that neither of my parents are (unless they are hiding behind those cards that damn well).

For those of you who keep bringing up homosexuality . . . the last I heard, scientists haven't proved that it's genetic at all. A couple of years ago I remember reading an article that said they thought they had found something that might be the "gay gene," but it was only in cis-males and weren't sure. Unless I'm behind the times--and I admit that I might be--they haven't proven that homosexuality is genetic at all, and thus we have nothing to say that asexuality is.

Here's some interesting research--but again, only cis-males.

Note, I'm not saying that your family members aren't asexual or something or another. All I'm saying is that there's really nothing to say it's genetic.

[Asexy Void]

I'm not entirely sure, as I only really know my siblings/their spouses/their kids, and I know that none of them are Ace. I think my oldest niece may be ace, though. Or, at the very least, sex-repulsed. (She may also be Aro.) But if she is, she hasn't felt the need to say anything. She's also very private. (And she knows I'm Ace, and she also studied a little bit of it in her psychology class. So it's definitely not a lack of knowledge on her part.)

[seneca]

I have a cousin, that like me,is unmarried and doesn't date. She is very dedicated to her job as a State Trooper, though. I do have a large amount of females in the family. I'm one of the few males.

[TeddyMiller]

I have a brother and a sister, they're both married with children, but both could have been virgins when they got married, as far as I know.

[littlepersonparadox]

^{I'm most certainly the only LGBT+ person in my family. Huzza for being unique! My sister has talked about guys in a sexual way a lot and talked about desires before so certainly straight. Mom and dad aren't into it now that they are older according to them, but they are both still more than sexual in their opinions of things. Plus dad's put off by LGBT+ media. He gets visibly uncomfortable when stuff like that's on calls it weird if it's something he wasn't expecting.}

[raykee247]

I'm pretty sure my mom's demi. The way she spoke about it when I talked to her about sex implied it, though I don't think she would ever call herself that. My brother might be as well, as he's never shown too much interest in dating. Of the two girlfriends he's had, they were both mostly online relationships.

[SMW22792]

I never heard it mentioned, but most of my Uncles don't have kids. They really don't seem the type to have sex either, but that's purely speculation. No one in my family ever talks about sex. They each have their own hobbies that occupies their time.

[cali87]

I always wonder. My mom is Polyamourous, my brother is...I don't even know..He's bi and trans(but was born and lives as a male...did transition but changed back do to the hormones affecting his thought process) but he hasn't gone out with anyone in like 3 years now, and never goes out and this doesn't seem to bother him at all. My great aunt never married or showed any interest in being with anyone ever and I am Aro Ace sooo.. I do feel like genetics play some sorta role in sexual indentity in general.

[brightberry]

I do think that my mother is likely asexual. My maternal grandfather is not, but I think my maternal grandmother probably is as well. I have no clue about my father's side, but he's not an amazingly sexual person either.

[Ruqiah]

I do not believe that asexuality is genetic. And here is why.

I was adopted. My birth father and mother were very sexual. Father actually had many many women throughout his long life, and up until he died. He died at the age of 80 or 81. Brother was sexual too (at least with the desire and attraction part). He hasn't acted upon them.

Asexual tally of birth family : 1 (myself)

The only person in the family that adopted me I could say is asexual is my mum. She has outright told me that she's never desired sex, and never found people attractive in that way. She fits every definition of asexual. Her parents and family is very sexual. They talk about it a lot, especially the cousins and her brother. The other girl mum adopted was very very sexual (and got into trouble for it often).

My adoptive dad is sexual but gave it up for his wife. He still wants it, but he's compromised on it, and frankly, he's more upset that mum doesn't show affection to him (hugs, kisses, etc). His family is very sexual, and he had 7 brothers (some who are married with kids, one divorced, one dead, and two single their whole lives). The only ones I could maybe wonder about is the one who was married and divorced (with kids) and one of the single ones. But both had so many other things going on that sex wasn't something they'd have time for or to think about, so I can't confirm it. The other single fella was very very sexual, had many women and many.. adventures.

So asexual tally of adoptive family : 2 confirmed asexuals (myself and my adopted mother)

If it were genetic, my birth family or my adoptive mum's family (19 blood related members, not counting spouses) would have more asexuals as well. But they dont. I am the only one of a family of 4 people that I know of (which really doesn't count since there's so few) and my adoptive mum is the only one out of 19 blood related family members (not counting spouses and going from great grandparents to my cousins).

You could explain away my family as genetic, but not my adoptive mum's. Also, one or two of the spouses in the adoptive mum's family could be asexual, but not the blood related ones, and yet their kids are still all sexual.

[Angeliss]

I think my mom might be demi, just based on her reactions when I told her what asexuality was. But neither of my siblings are, and my dad isn't. And as far as I know, no one else up the lineage is either.

[Tonzie]

I think it maybe genetic. My mom mentioned my great aunt was asexual. She was the first born and a female like myself so I can see it as a possibility and if I'm wrong, a strange coincidence.

[animanova]

No one else in my family is asexual. Darn. Ah, it does have some pretty interesting questions that come from the members of my family that simply don't get it.