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Types of asexuality


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Maybe I am stupid but I have not yet found anything that explains type A, B, C etc when catagorizing asexual preferances. I have seen this mentioned in various posts but don't understand the significance.

Please can someone enlighten me or point me in the direction of a relative post on this forum.

Many thanks, Nick.

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the reason why you can't find it is because they have been retired. But I, as well as a few other members, are still hanging on to them because I think they're good for explaining asexuality to non A's. *clutches to the B* Here was a summery:

A)Those who experience sex drive but no attraction: These are people who are aware that sex, on a purely biochemical level, might feel good but who would never feel compelled to engage in it with another person. The sex drive is dormant. Asexuals fitting this description may find sex with another person so socially and emotionally awkward as to be completely unpleasurable. (Yeah it might feel good to have sex with someone, it might feel good to run out and shoot up herion but for the time being I've got other things to do with my life..)

B)People who experience attraction, but no sex drive: Those who feel an attraction to others similar to sexual attraction but have no desire to consummate it sexually. Attraction is centered less on sexuality and more on emotional and sometimes physical (though non-sexual) intimacy. Like sexual attraction this sort of attraction can be oriented along specific gender lines. (Sure I like you, but why of all things would we want to do THAT?)

C)Both: People for whome sex biologically feels good who experience attraction that is purely emotional. This person may find it pleasurable to masturbate, and they may see someone and feel an unexplainable emotional attachement to them but they would never see any reason to put the two together.

D)Neither: Those who don't find sex pleasurable and don't experience attraction to other people. It's important to note that not experiencing attraction does NOT mean that these people do not form intimate emotional relationships, like those in group A they are fully capable of forming intimate bonds with others and finding particular people particularely interesting without feeling anything that they define as "attraction."

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Thanks, that explains things very well.

While I am not someone that likes having a label stuck on me, it is somehow comforting to fit in to a catagory at times, do you agree?

Having said that, I am still not 100% sure which applies to me best - I think I am B, but with a dash of C thrown in for luck!

Nick.

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  • 3 weeks later...
PeterMacKenzie

I'm a mix of C and D, with a bit of A and B too. The precise composition really depends on what mood I'm in and which personalities I'm wearing. :D

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Well finally.

Thanks, Nick, for bringing this up!

I've been wandering this site for a couple weeks now, and I knew that those old categories had been "retired", but people still made references to them and I really wanted to know what they were.

Hmm, I'm definitely a B. I know the point of putting these into retirement was so there would be less labeling going on, and so people didn't feel like they had to fit into a certain categorie...but...

I do feel like I fit into the B categorie, now that I've read what it is.

Huh. Cool.

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Newbie here - just discovered the site.

May I say: I'm surprised that these categories have been retired. I arrived here, curious and confused, and spent a couple of days wandering around getting even more confused (though, admittedly, more curious too). The FAQ on the opening pages didn't really help me much, because it talks entirely about what's included in the asexual spectrum, but not very much about what distinguishes it from any other kind of orientation.

Seeing these categories has helped me immensely. Although I don't cleanly fit any of them (I'm a C with B leanings), at least the language with which they're written feels very familiar to me. At least (and, at last) I know I'm somewhere friendly!

Though I understand and acknowledge that not everybody likes to be pigeon-holed, I think a lot of you are coming from a level of sophistication that newcomers don't share (and, certainly, I didn't). I'd have appreciated some simple explanations before reading the more complex ones. Speaking for myself, I'd have appreciated seeing the categories on the FAQ page, even if they were accompanied by an "official health warning"!

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As a newbie as well, like JC I find that those categories are useful too.

For personal use, the only label that really means anything is *ME*. However, society in general likes to pin labels on people and put them in pigeon holes, and out of the categories given, I'm probably a C with a bit of B thrown in for good measure.

I'll add my voice to those who would welcome that information on the FAQ page. Even if used purely as a guideline, it does at least give people some idea of where they are in the asexual spectrum.

Brian_w

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Hmm... Hmmmmm...

I can feel attraction, in that I can gauge the attractiveness of a person, and acknowledge that a person looks (for example) "gorgeous" or "hot" or "pretty" or "handsome" or whatever. And I can be attracted to someone in the sense that I like spending time with someone and enjoy their company and feel a sense of emotional closeness. But from a purely physical standpoint, there's not much to talk about. My physical needs can be met by hand-holding and hugs... I guess that makes me mostly Type B?

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I guess I'm a C? I'm sexually and romantically attracted, I just don't like being touched. A friend of mine said her sister was the same way and was called an "Ice Princess." I don't like that term, nor do I like frigid. I'm not sure why coldness comes into it, although some say I'm not caring, so maybe I'm emotionally cold? Meh.

May I ask why the terms were retired? I assume it's because of a reluctance to categorize people like that? Or because they don't reflect all the possible permutations?

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Hmm... Hmmmmm...

I can feel attraction, in that I can gauge the attractiveness of a person, and acknowledge that a person looks (for example) "gorgeous" or "hot" or "pretty" or "handsome" or whatever. And I can be attracted to someone in the sense that I like spending time with someone and enjoy their company and feel a sense of emotional closeness. But from a purely physical standpoint, there's not much to talk about. My physical needs can be met by hand-holding and hugs... I guess that makes me mostly Type B?

Every human being with basic facial recognition functions can register what looks good and what doesn't. As a matter of fact, it is almost always a matter of simple symmetry. But just because you think someone is pretty or handsome does not mean that you want to have sex with them, obviously.

From what you said, you could be any of the four types, really. And there's no need to typify yourself if the letters don't quite fit.

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I will agree with these people and say that giving a point of reference is very helpful, and will allow people to understand the idea of asexuality much better than a mere list of "X is included, Y is not".

You can always add "these are just guidelines, not rigid categories, most asexuals have some attributes of each or some things not even mentioned here" next to the categories.

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Every human being with basic facial recognition functions can register what looks good and what doesn't. As a matter of fact, it is almost always a matter of simple symmetry. But just because you think someone is pretty or handsome does not mean that you want to have sex with them, obviously.

What makes you think my comment was limited to appreciation of people's faces? :wink:

From what you said, you could be any of the four types, really. And there's no need to typify yourself if the letters don't quite fit.

But that's the entire point of this thread! :D

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Thanks for posting this! Now I know how I can label myself.

I know it's really not the label that's important but sometimes one wants to use shorthand-style descriptions.

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I think that I pretty much fit very nicely in Type C, which is unusual. Since when has a type ever fit me well? :P

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A case for nonrevisionism if I ever saw one.

Bear in mind, these ranges have been forcibly obsoleted. Don't get too attached to theml; the Web Team may ask me to delete this thread or something.

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Live R Perfect

I sense some resentment towards the Web Team, Davey. Any particular reason? I mean, we haven't actually DONE anything yet. And we didn't even exist when the types system was retired. I'm confused.

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Geez, i hope you guys don't delete this, just this thread alone makes a decent reference to these A-B-C-D characters I heard about.

I'd be another C favouring B

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Live R Perfect

We don't delete threads unless there's a pretty good reason to do so - eg. the outburstings of a troll - and even then the thread is more likely to be locked than deleted. This thread is in no danger, I can assure you.

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Well I'm a B with some of Spick's 'Ice Princess' thrown in! I really don't like being touched, even by my closest friends and family. And I'm sooo stoked with the line:

"Sure I like you, but why of all things would we want to do THAT?"

Geez if I had a dollar for every time I've said that in my life ....... :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am A and B, but not C. I don't find sex pleasurable (except for masturbation - but that's not sex!). I am attached emotionally, but that's as far as it goes in that I'm only attracted to people intellectually. I like the "Yeah it might feel good to have sex with someone, it might feel good to run out and shoot up herion but for the time being I've got other things to do with my life...", as well as "Sure I like you, but why of all things would we want to do THAT?" (lol). I think their should be an E category (as if things weren't complicated enough :-P): "I am A and B, but not C in that I don't like sex with other people, only myself. Attraction to other people only goes as far as intellectually. I don't mind cuddling, holding hands, and kissing, but that's as far as I can go emotionally". Egh, how about it? Or does C imply that? I like E - something like an "all the above" of sorts. Have a good day, Serenity

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Ah hah! Quite a useful referential system - the shorthand bit - and good to have it clarified. Me, a C-D (please dont hear that as seedy) and am interested in the extension to E...that wonderful problem with us humans - there is always an exception to any rule - cheers, kia ora, Islander9

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is how I see asexuality

When Asexuals look at people they do not have the desire for sexual gratification much less feel aroused by media depicting sexual activities. I believe this is the real definition of an asexual and not one that allows an asexual some slack by allowing him/her to feel aroused sexually but later on deny that they had any sexual desire. People who masturbates cannot fantasize anything that has any sexual connotations at all, failing to fulfill this criteria would deem a person not asexual.

I do not feel that there should be different categories depicting the pure and "less purer" types of asexuals. Asexuality means simply to have nothing to do with anything sexual at all, any attraction that leads to sexual arousal, or any interest in sexual activitives including with oneself.

I feel it is most correct to have one definition that does not include any form of sexual excitement or interest.

I do not believe that Asexuals are born Asexuals because of genes or lack of, or any hormonal balance/imbalance. I believe being asexual is a state of mind, such as being Heterosexual, Homosexual or Bisexual etc.

Sexuality is based one's desires and motives stemming from the Ego, the Id and the Superego. Heterosexuals and Homosexuals both desire and accomodate their sexual desires by relating what their desire, their wants and needs and relating it to a suitable candidate to fulfill them.

Asexuals do not have their desires, their wants and needs related to anything sexual therefore they are by "default" free from such sexual desires.

The key word here is to relate what one wants and needs to a suitable candidate one have in mind that can suitably fulfill them.

People with sexualities have active desires related to sexual propaganda therefore they would always be "excited", "interested" in the face of anything that can fulfill what they already want.

Asexuals do not have desires related to anything sexual therefore their interests in such are not active in any slight case.

Asexuals are not biased sexually as their Heterosexual and Homosexual counterparts.

Asexuals do not pursue anything sexual because they have no logical need for it. Sexuality of any form is infact irrelevent to any of their desires. Therefore one does not require one does not need.

Being Asexual is all in the mind. Just like the bible saying that to eye with lust is already committing adultery in the mind. Actions stems from motives from the mind. But if one's actions conflicts with one's objectives in the mind, the person may just be in self denial and trying to be something else than what he actually is.

Not correctly understanding and defining what is asexual defeats the purpose of the title and dilutes what asexuality stands for. Asexuality is not a term to be used for convenience, much less for people who are still searching for who they really are.

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Live R Perfect

OK then.... deja deja vu....

Stop: Was it really necessary to copy and paste the exact same post that you've posted twice already into this thread as well? The other two posts still exist and people can reply to them if they so wish, but this constant word-for-word repetition of your opinion on the matter serves no purpose other than to wind people up. If you want other people to take your opinions seriously then you ought to think about at least elaborating on your reasoning, rather than repeating yourself in the hope that people will change their minds.

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