What are, in your opinion, some of the most important issues asexuals face in society?
Non belief, really
That we aren't seen as real adults and that it can be fixed.
Lack of education on the sexuality, not presented as an option, lack of representation and no inclusion within the LGBT community.
.
Being misunderstood
being fake?
Lack of visibility
Being misunderstood by people who are not well informed about asexuality or think it doesn't exist.
1. That society doesn't see us and 2. That people feel like we "can be fixed" in some way.
The lack of recognition or the sense of invalidity.
Being discounted, misunderstood, pitied.
Acceptance
The “you just haven’t found the right person yet” problem
judgement, people thinking that asexuality is a cause of a sexual trauma, not being welcome in the lgbtq+ community
Ridicule, "I can fix you" and a lack of publicity/recognition
Getting more recognition and being accepted
Medicalization, visibility and exclusion.
Not enough recognition
Intimate relationships with allos are the biggest struggle, but I don't know if that translates to a political movement.
Idk
Being invisible and having your identity explained away as “low testosterone” or something. People don’t understand that it’s even a thing, let alone how to treat us respectfully. Feeling broken. Feeling like a disappointment to allosexual partners.
Lack of visibility & education
awareness of the existence of aceness
As a asexual guy, having to suggest we had fucked X or Y to reassure indiscrete people that our balls won't explode (wtf). Grasping the concept of « hot » girl as something different that « objectly beautiful ».
Erasure
Gatekeeping by other LGBT individuals
how to talk about asexuality in a way that makes sense to non aces that isnt followed by an interview
Gatekeeping and lack of validation
Gatekeeping and lack of validation
lack of awareness
Erasure and isolation
The expectation that we should like/want to have sex.
.
There’s no education about it. So ace kids grow up feeling like there’s something wrong w/ them
Gatekeeping from other LGBT folk.
Believing there isnt something wrong with them for being asexual
people dont think asexuality is real & 'normal'
Being accepted
That society considers it as either non-existing (we're all liars) or that it means there's something really wrong with us and we need to fix it.
People believing that asexuality isn't real, or that it is some form of disease or disability. My parents believe that I'm just a "late bloomer" and not asexual, when I've never felt any sexual attraction or found anyone "hot".
Being labeled as “prudes” or “inhuman”
The facts Ace/Aro are rarely accepted into the LGBT+. I don’t know if that’s still an on going debate but it still sucks
Being told it’s just a phase, being ridiculed by other lgbt/grsm community members
Visibility
Lack of widespread visibility and understanding
Awareness
People assuming that being sexual is the expected feeling, and people not really believing that it is a real thing.
People not understanding or not knowing what asexuality is.
Not being acknowledged and told that we don't exist
LACK OF ASEXUAL REPRESENTATION!!
Representation
 Allos trying to convince us into sex with them
Non recognition and invalidation.  Nobody realizes we exist and that we're valid.
Getting judged for not liking either gender and not wanting to have any sexual relations with anyone.
misinformation and lack of representation
For romantic aces specifically, people not understanding that even though we don't want or need sex, we can still want the intimate connection of a meaningful relationship
Lack of education, being seen as not valid, garlic bread supply shortages
Being underrepresented or erased in media, society and even the LGBTQ+ community.
"One big issue in my opinion is that we aren’t legally included in many definitions of sexual orientation in laws. With the exception of New York, most places define sexual orientation as “heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual”, so any laws about sex ed requiring education about other sexual orientations won’t have to include us, or banning conversion therapy that tries to change someone’s  sexual orientation won’t automatically cover us, it leaves us out of any progress made.

The other big issue I think we face is that we need more public recognition, and awareness. When people don’t realize their orientation because they never heard of it until they’re older, we have a problem."
Not being recognized
"The concept that a romantic, sexual partner is the only socially acceptable life partner and should be the most important persin in your life can be really
 harmful."
Not being understood, being shunned, being deliberately misunderstood, people thinking we're broken and need to be fixed
not being recognized/understood, I guess
People generally not knowing it even exits
Lack of knowledge
Most people may not believe them
Recognition and acceptance
Same as everyone else, really. I haven't encountered any sort of different treatment regarding my asexuality since discovering and coming out.
Invisibility and pressure to conform to the cis/hetero normative culture.
Marginalization, "our issues aren't as important", difficulty in finding non-sexual life partners
The most important issue is being taken seriously and to have our existence believed, many people view sex as a universal experience, and cannot imagine anyone not wanting it.
Acceptance and knowledge
There are none. Literaly. If someone dislikes you because of your personality you do not force your oppinions on them, you just part ways and find someone else.
That we’re “broken” for not even wanting to have sex with people or be attracted to people
Sexual harassment, disrespect, increased risk of sexual assault
The pressure and expectation of society that Everyone must have children, or be engaged or willing to have sex at some point in heir lives. The fact that a lack of sexual attraction is seen first and foremost as a disorder or a problem needing solving without the person directly affected’s input being acknowledged also.
Not sure
Discrimination and abuse.
Lack of recognition
visibility
The assumption that we can, and should be "fixed"
Not being represented, respected or understood
Erasure and societal pressure to conform.
Being told its a phase. It's hard to get acceptance when no one believes it's a real thing
Representation
Allonormativity
How sex focused media is all around. It may not seem like much, but everyone’s perception of whether sex is a requirement or not seems to be dictated by what is shown to everyone.
Social pressures, lack of education
I think the most important issue is visibility; no one knows we exist. This means that there's likely confusion if the person you're explaining it to, especially with all the names for things as I said above. Something else I've experienced is people having disbelief in what I'm saying. "You just haven't found the right woman yet, it's sinful for you not to have someone." Ironically, in my experience the church was more accepting of my aceness than non-religious people.
.
Educating people what being ace means
Lack of awareness and misunderstanding about what asexuality means and how it works.
acknowledgement & acceptance
Denial of existence and pressure "to be like everyone else"
Erasure, corrective therapy/rape
That we just have matured enough or meet the right person. Basically invalidating us, like we don’t understand our own feelings.
Erasure, 'corrective' relationships/molestation, shit like that
Being told that asexuality is a lie.
Acceptance and understanding. The typical thought process that "asexuals just haven't met the right person yet" etc is exhausting to explain.
Lack of reprensentation
visibility and acceptance
being ridiculed/pressured
Lack of understanding
Inclusivity and not being pressed into a relationship (there are countries which require single individuals to be 35 years of age before being allowed to leave the house of their parents)
Lack of understand
Anxieties/issues with dating and finding a partner that accepts their sexuality (or lack of)
Invisibility
I believe that some of the most important issues that the asexual community faces and individuals is not accepting their own orientation while also being at risk for sexual harassment and violence. Tolerance within the community would also be a good thing to work on (being accepted as LGBT+ is not easy) as well, that is something that the community struggles with.
The dating culture that seems slightly too focused on sexual attraction. "Did you see that hot chick?" *confused ace noises*
medicalisation and corrective rape
Inclusiveness
I guess the general pressure from society to indulge in romantic and sexual acts as a norm. Even us on the asexual scale that don't follow the norm like the "average Joe"
Invisibility and lack of representation.
Erasure of our identity, people assuming that we "haven't found the right person yet" instead of accepting asexuality (or aromanticism) as natural and valid
Recognition
Being shamed for lack of sexual desire
Erasure and sexual assault
Erasure
Lack of visibility.
Don’t know, I’m new to the community
"Allonormativity
LGBTQIA infighting"
mostly, not being recognized as a real sexuality by some people
NA
Erasure and/or lack of awareness for it.
Validation
Invalidation
No idea, but I had to fill this in since it's a required question.
Stigma and misunderstanding
Positive media representation, income inequality.
Sexuality everywhere. I've seen a lot of aces struggle with this.
finding a partner who is cool with it
Feeling alone or not normal
Erasure, others doubting asexuality and ignoring it, pressure/being forced to conform, being infantilized
Well lile the previous answer gatekeeping and exclusion from the lgbt community...ohh and the u will find the right on. Or the ur too young arguement
Not being believed and not accepted
loneliness
Pressure to date, marry, and have kids
"Invisibility - others not believing that it is even possible to not be sexual and the subsequent pestering
"
Being aware of how small the dating pool becomes
People realizing that it’s not a choice
Exclusion and denial, Misrepresentation/ lack of representation, pressures to change and/or deny their sexuality to be fit the status quo
Having people realize it's okay to be ace
erasure and misunderstanding
Invisibility (which makes questioning your sexuality harder), bullying/being looked down on
Acceptance. I'm not just trying to be queer because it's popular. I'm not straight enough to be accepted by straight people and I'm not queer enough to be accepted by queer people
no idea
Next no representation, and if there actually is representation it's often incorrectly portrayed.
Ace not being known/recognized as an valid sexuality/orientation
The misunderstanding of Asexuality
invalidation and erasure
Erasure
Lack of representation, being looked down on, people just not understanding.
Misunderstanding from the general public ("You just haven't met the right person!") and exclusion from the lgbt+ community. I may not be involved with the community much at all, I do think aces have a place there. We dont fit in with straights, so where else should we turn? Not to mention corrective r/pe and the recent murder.
Being recognized as an actual part of the community and being seen as complex people.
Fear of other, judgment (however I think there’s more ace than we think) and getting into a relationship with someone that understand us
Being told "it's just a phase" or "you just haven't found the right person yet" or "not having sexual desire is probably a medical problem."
That asexual is often mistaken with aromantic
People thinking you aren't in a relationship if it isn't sexual
Social rejection and lack of understanding
I personally have not had any issue in the society for being ace/demi. Probably because I surround myself with caring and accepting people. If I find someone who is not tolerant, I dont hang or engage with them.
visibility
Feeling "abnormal" because we don't experience sexual attraction normally
Absence of information
other sexualilties and other people who don't understand
-
Lack of visibility.
Stigma, invalidation, and pressure to conform or compromise.
No represantation, people not believing asexuals exist
They don't believe we exist do don't treat us serious.
Invisibility, stereotyping, gatekeeping, disbelief in medical situations
Not fully accepted by the lgbt community, there's still quite a bit of gatekeeping going on there. Also many people don't know about asexuality and if they do they have incorrect stereotypes or don't know what it is.
Corrective rape
Erasure and misunderstanding
Not knowing about asexuality. I didn't know anything about it until recently.
Invisibility and being made to feel unwelcome in both straight and LGBTQ circles for being "not like us".
Not being accepted as who they are. Told they are weird for not liking/not seeking sex
The need to be believed. The need to not be pathologized. The normalization of nonsexual romantic relationships.
Invalidation
Ace dating in the era of hookup culture. Rape and sexual assault survival and recovery.
How couple-centric the world is. How sex-centric people are expected to be. How difficult it is to have anyone understand a lack of sexual attraction.
The fact that we don't generally like sex or need it so the rest of society thinks we're broken.
Lack of awareness - a lot of people still aren't aware or cannot properly define what asexuality is and that it's a spectrum. Then there is acephobia where people are dismissive of aces and say it's not real or that they have something wrong with them.
Misrepresentation and unaffected that don’t understand and say we “make things up”
Awareness, misconceptions, heteronormativity
Fitting into the LGBTQ+ spectrum and visibility.
Erasure, ignorance, misinformation, a sexually focused society
Invisibility and lack of awareness, no space to increase awareness
Ignorance, lack of acceptance, bigotry, exclusionists within the LGBT+ community
Being excluded/misunderstood
Climate change? Like wtf, I don't know...
No one knows who we are
Erasure
Being dismissed as an actual thing and being excluded from the lgbt community or existence.
Awareness and acceptance
Lack of understanding
Exclusion, and erasure
"Being judged on misunderstandings . Asexuality often gets mistaken as celibacy or a phase.
There seems to be an even bigger problem for male aces. Society focuses a lot on sex, and there's an extra pressure on men."
People don't know asexuality
I don't know
Elimination/disregarding. (Of course sexual assault too)
Heteronormativity, Ignorance and misunderstanding, oversexualisation of basically everything (even sex itself lol), people thinking there's some sort of mental or physical problem or illness or trauma (pressure to find a partner, pressure to reproduce)
Erasure, denial of our existence, oversexualized culture, gatekeeping, low awareness
people say we aren't real
Alienation
Pressure by allos to conform
Erasure
People don't belive in asexuality
Traditional familial/romantic ideas
People thinking asexuality is not real and it's just a choice on our part.
none
Recognition
Invisibility
Visibility
Be more accepting of everyone, allo people included
Obviously the over sexualization of all media is irritating. That, and the stigma that sex is love, and it’s necessary, and if you won’t do that with your partner, well you clearly don’t care for them and all that
Educating others and showing that not all relationships need to be sexual.
Being excluded and/or told it's not real or that it's the same as making a choice when it is not a choice.
Having healthy relationships
Insecurity, being accepted in LGBT+ communities and events, and facing discrimination against asexuals.
People believing that we don't exist)can't fathom our existance & people telling us that we are wrong and that "we haven't found the right person"
oversexualization, not enough knowledge
Recognition and awareness.
Fear of being seen as weird. Thinking that you are broken.
Not being recognized as valid, and not broken
"Some asexuals want to have a life partner, and a (non-sex having) ace with an allo could cause rifts in an otherwise fine relationship.
There’s also the big fact of people simply not believing asexuality exists."
Lack of visibility, conflict with "masculinity" for guys
visibility, misunderstanding
That society is too sec based, things are sold based on sex appeal and it makes a part of us very uncmfortable or just out of place. If society wasn't so sexualmore of us would be open.
Being invisible
I think that not a lot of people fully understand the concept of asexuality, and believe it's just a preference, or a phase, or laziness/prudeness/intolerance/etc.
Acceptance
Hypersexualisation of society makes it difficult for relationships.
The weird look from people who clearly can't understand that people like us exist.
People trying to invalidate our identity
Invisibility
The blatant refusal to understand the orientation.
Our problems are often dismissed because of misconceptions people have about asexuality. And people say "well it's just a lack of a sexuality so it doesn't count!" which is absolutely untrue.
exclusionists in the lgbt+ community and to little attention in mainstream media (and in general)
Not being understood by society
lack of awareness/support/understanding
Representation. It feels prettu shitty when you try to join an activist club and are told you dont count.
cultural oppression (invisibility)
Violent threats. I have been, on multiple occasions, threatened with r*ape to "fix" me.
Erasure
Everyone tries to change us
Homophobia is the only issue people my age have experienced
A lack of representation leading to young aces thinking there is something wrong with them because they don't fit the cultural narrative. Exclusion from the LGBT community because many aces are straightpassing. Difficulty navigating the dating scene for romantic asexuals, because so many allos think sex is this most important part of relationships.
denial, erasure
"Nobody knows what asexuality is.

Not fitting in.

for those who know, they're still uneducated on it/Don't believe it



"
Not being seen as valid (ex: you just haven't met the right person). Or being seen as undesirable for relationships.
Communicating what they feel in a way that other (very sexual) people will understand.
Assholes thinking we don't exist
Constant sexualization
People thinking that we’re mentally ill, doing it for attention, doctors thinking we need to be ‘fixed’, corrective rape.
Pressure to be more sexual, sexual at all; criticism for being prudish when holding boundaries around comfort zones; people who think face isn't a "real" sexual orientation (especially relates to demi/gray ace folks.)
Tolerance and acceptance
People not understanding / thinking we are broken
Being thought of as „prude“ or even mentally ill
Recognition
visibility
Understanding from allos
No idea honestly
Finding a partner. I’m not attracted to people that often so I don’t try to “put myself out there.” Also many people don’t understand demisexuality so it’s hard to find someone who is understanding of me.
People just not understanding what it is or that it doesn't need to be "fixed."
most people don't know it exists or what it actually is. if you say "I'm gay" people understand that. if you say you're ace, they don't. people think it's not ok, so that's an issue. like there's something wrong with you. it's also hard to find potential significant others if you aren't sex-positive.
people not believing you
Being recognized and accepted
Invisibility
Invisibility, ridicule, harassment
Constant sexualization of everything all the time, lack of understanding
Being Infantalized and demumanized in media and online. Asexuals tend to be looked at as “immature” or young by default, basically “not ready for” sex instead of simply lacking attraction. And asexual characters in media tend to be either robos or aliens, or equated with autistism/being “too socially awkward for sex.”
understanding and de-stigmatisation
Asexuality can be seen as shameful. Society and media often talks about sex in a very allosexual way and it feels alienating. Demisexuality is also misunderstood as a choice.
Being told we’re not LGBTQ or we haven’t met the right person/had good sex
Lack of awareness of asexuality
Asexual erasure, especially from LGBTQ+/GSRM
No representation
Lack of visibility probably
Lonelyness
Not being in the LGBTQA community
I think we have very little representation in in pop culture, so many people aren't really aware we exist. I also think the LGBTQ community can tend to shun us a little, so it almost feels like we're the outcasts of the outcasts sometimes. People constantly say things like "oh everyone is like that" or "you just haven't met the right person yet." People can be very dismissive when you try to talk to then about being ace or demi.
"-Insistence that we aren't real or that everyone is like us until they meet the right person
-corrective rape
-exclusion from mainstream queer circles
-insistence that heterosexual/heteroromantic aces are not queer

"
No answer
Invisibility and invalidity are the two biggest issues
No one knows we even exist
Desiring monogamous relationships with a non-ace
The fact that people dont believe us.
Over sexualzation of everything
The importance society places on sex, and everyone is all about sex positivity now but that doesn't seem to include us
Recognition and acceptance
Lack of visibility
Erasure, people trying to “fix” them, relationship trouble, othering from most cultures.
Misunderstood by allos
Knowledge of it
erasure, ignorance, exclusion
I dont believe Asexuality is widely known.
Acceptance and understanding.
Fitting in and figuring out how to navigate relationships (romantic and non).
Not being accepted by "normal" people or LGBT+ (not all, but a vocal some)
I'm often asked questions I can't answer. "Is she hot" or "who here would you bang" and stuff like that, I literally have no answer but people try to force it out. People also put so much weight on sex and relationships
Not being recognised/ being misinterpreted
erasure
Being deemed liars, and fake.
Social expectations, being in a relationship with an allosexual, lack of proper sexual education
To not be included. Like there’s only heteros, homos and bis existing.
Erasure and being denied, told we have a sexual sickness of some kind.
Trying to explain to someone indoctrinated into society's ideology that sex = love that not everyone feels the same way. I feel this would be especially difficult as an ace trying to explain this to an allo partner.
Recognition
Being told that it is not a thing. Or told that you just have to find the right person or once you start having sex you'll change your mind.
n/a
Acceptance in the wider culture.
Invisibility
Lack of general awareness is the largest problem I can identify. It leads to casual aphobia and not knowing that being ace is even an option keeps a lot of young aces questioning and doubting themselves for years. Coming out often involves a primer on asexuality, which just shouldn't be necessary.
Fear/pressure of "coming out"
Most people don't even know asexuality is even a thing, I've had a lot of friends asking me about demisexuality because it's a term they haven't heard before. I think this is an issue that not only the ace community has but the lgbtq+ community as a whole
Asexuality is not as widely known or recognized as other sexual orientations
Not being taken seriously
don't know
Gatekeeping and people not thinking its real or know about it
People should be taught that its ok to not feel sexual attraction. A lot of people feel like theyre broken and need to be fixed because theres basically no mention of it in schools or in the media.
Feeling left out/different from everyone else/isolated
Mainly invisibility and minimal media presence (some ace celebs would be cool).
Lack of awareness
Finding understanding partners
Forced marriage
Social stigma/discrimination, Erasure/Invalidation, "Corrective" Sexual Abuse, Navigating Romantic Relationships, Feeling Alien/Other.
not being accepted
Not having enough representation and being thought of as not being a real sexuality/just being attention seekers
The copious amount of oversexualization in all forms of media and the difficulty of finding a partner that’s willing to deal with dating an asexual person.
Lack of awareness, missing jokes/insinuations/social exchanges because of not sharing experiences, threats of corrective rape, constant invalidation
Visibility
I think one of the biggest issues is a lack of representation and understanding of what it means to be ace. There are a lot of misunderstandings, such as asexuality being a choice, that can be pretty harmful.
being invalidated
Even those that are accepting ask endless questions that are always the same question. Most of what decides if I'm ready to come out to someone is if I'm ready to answer those questions AGAIN. It's always the exact same questions repeated in such a way as to try to get me out of the ace spectrum. "You telling me you wouldn't f*** [random girl]. Are you sure? I bet you would if given the chance; are you SURE?"
Not having our orientations taken seriously.
There's a general lack of understanding in society. Even among the LGBT+ community it seems there are people who can't seem to grasp the concept of life without sexual attraction (or at least conventional sexual attraction). It can be hard to open up about it sometimes for this reason.
fuck if i know, each case is different
visibility, understanding, tolerance
Lack of representation is rough sometimes.
Demonization from society because we don’t like/want sex. Weird.
Visibility or lack thereof, lack of understanding, etc
Finding long lasting love
Personally, it took me a while to realize who I am because of society's pressure and view of relationships. Though I am sex positive, there always comes a point when it clashes with others.
A lot of society, especially the LGBT community that many asexuals associate with, is hyper-sexualized. This can lead many asexuals to feel broken or out of place, or make them feel the need to compromise their comfort for the sake of others. I feel having more awareness and representation in mainstream media would go a long way in rectifying this.
People saying it’s just a phase and that it’ll be gone when we meet the right person and that we’re only saying it for attention to be “pure” and “special”
The concept of romance and sex as being inextricably intertwined, primarily. Also, general misinformation around and misunderstanding of asexuality.
Lack of recognition and resources
Being accepted and recognized as a valid sexual orientation
Not being understood/well known.
That we are not interested in intimacy, “broken”, and we haven’t met the right person yet.
Corrective rape and medical abuse, gatekeeping
Everything is over sexualized and I'm often completely clueless unless someone explains it to me.
Being told that asexuality isn't valid and needs to be fixed, or that we're not human because wecre not really into sex
Not being identified as sex repulsed/not enjoying sex
mostly the fact nobody knows about the ace community, which at least has a bright side to being able to inform people correctly the first time and hopefully avoid prejudice. another is how being ace and romo can cause rejection due to hard feelings about sexual activities.
At the moment the lack of basic knowledge to what asexuality is
People not respecting boundaries
"Sex sells", not being taken serious
We’re a joke to most people, and if a non-ace finds out an asexual feels arouse then they’d tell you you’re not asexual
Relationships
People always pressure me as an asexual to have sex and I simply can't. I don't feel able.
Invisibility
Being the odd fish, it's hard to find a partner when you're expected to 'put out'. It's hard to take the time to be interested in someone when most people use visual attraction to find the motivation to at least talk to them. Dating is hard and from personal experience it's easy to settle for someone who may not be healthy for you.
Stereotypes are not fulfilled
"Erasure
Misrepresentation
Denial of their sexuality
Attempted correction of their sexually "
Visibility, Acceptance
Just being understood in general, which comes with awareness.
Being insulted because we don't want/need sex
Lack of acceptance
Erasure & exclusion from LGBT spaces
Erasure/lack of visibility in both mainstream and even LGBTQA+ spaces
Dating. Dating. Dating. Like when do I disclose that I’m ace? Is it s dealbreaker? Am I willing to change for someone?
Aphobia for sure. There is, among allos of every kind, a lack of knowledge about what asexuality is and this lack of knowledge breeds fear and resentment. Because Asexuality is a little different than other sexualities and can mean a lot of things (hence the term Asepc), it can get confusing to anyone who is unfamiliar with it. I think our first priority should be to mainstream asexuality and assure people that we aren’t sick, or abused, or confused, or lying. Another issue we have is Incels using the term “asexual” to define themselves when it is untrue and damages the credibility of asexuals as a whole. More people know about incels than asexuality, which means they’ll associate asexuality with those hateful people first, and first impressions are hard to change.
People saying asexuals don't exist, claiming it to be a symptom of childhood abuse/trauma. Those people make me sick.
Lack of representation in the media. It is awful watching movies and never having once seen yourself.
Lack of awareness for aces
I can understand why some people can stigmatize asexuals (I had a hard time understanding why I got rejected by a guy who turned out to be greysexual) but I feel like everyone needs to have an open mind that everyone is different
people not understanding the identity (eg. You’re just a late bloomer or haven’t meet the right person)
I think the dating and hookup culture is hard for th ace community. Navigating expectations of sex early in relationships I think excludes a lot of aces who are otherwise looking for a partner.
being dismissed as a non-existent sexuality, not acknowledging demisexuality or gray ace as existing, being accused of trying to "turn" others to a non-sexual lifestyle, being accused of "just being conservative" with sexuality
demis in general i find get told, "Isnt that everyone?" when they explain their sexuality - another thing that isnt mentioned enough is that HI, HELLO! WE'RE HERE! One of the reasons I have not come out as demi to anyone but my SO is because I feel like the people in my life will invalidate the way I identify.
Lack of education about asexuality, which seems to be the main root of other problems, like people thinking we don't exist, or thinking asexual=celibate, etc.
Acceptance and exposure.
disrespect from others who don't want to/don't believe asexuality is a thing
Dating is a huge issue. Lots of asexual people are still romantic but have to navigate spaces designed for hookups or where sex is an expectation. Another big issue is erasure, but there have been strides taken in that area.
Erasure and disbelief
People don't understand what asexuality is as it relates to a sexual orientation
A lack of understanding from people important to them. This hasn't affected me personally though.
The feeling of not belonging anywhere, the compulsory sexualization, the low general awareness of what asexuality means.
Lack of connection to others as society is very much built around sex
Erasure, misunderstanding what it means
We exist unlike many people think, and we are LGBTQIA+
It's difficult to find another person interested in only having a romantic relationship.
Bias
For me personally, no one told me it was an option. I was stuck between wondering if maybe I'm gay and deciding that someone having a moderately conspicuous face is probably how a crush works
Just the fact we are seen as lying or broken to so many. And that we have to deal with a world that feels like sex is a "need" that everyone experiences, so we are forced to endure advertisements, music, movies and all forms of entertainment including sexual aspects when it does nothing for us, sometimes disgusts or annoys us. It's hard to date when you feel genuine love and want to be close, but most people expect and feel that sex is the only way to be close in the end.
Not being understanf by others
Erasure; Discrimination; Acceptance from Family and Peers; Mental Health Issues; Suicide; Intersectionality; Low Male Representation; Understanding Asexuality both inside and outside the Community.
Lack of understanding of the definition. Sex ed in high schools does not mention the existence of asexuals, if it does, it's just a sentence, not a whole day or week, as we had for transgender people. Married people get many explicit and implicit benefits such as housing priority, bedside visitation in hospitals, respect from teachers if one has children. Very similar to single parents' struggles. Over-saturation of sexual imagery in the advertising media makes many/most aces uncomfortable. Romance/sex features as a huge part of most entertainment media, and asexuality and/or autism is portrayed as a 'robotic' quality that 'true humans' do not have, further alienating us.
Nobody acknowledges that its a thing
People claiming that asexuality isn't real
I don't know
Everyone’s journey is different but for me I’ve mostly always felt validated in my asexuality.
Lack of recognition
Not sure, I'm pretty early on my journey...
Disbelief
Visibility
While sex is not a necessity, there is generally a lot of pressure to pursue sexuality. Sex is important for survival of the species, but not every person needs to have sexual relations to be happy and fulfilled. (Not to mention the fact that increasing exposure to sexuality at younger ages is a breeding ground for pedophilia, which I believe is wrong under every circumstance.)
I avoid getting gynecological care because because they don't believe I've only had sex with one person and haven't had sex in 5 years. It's really frustrating. If they do happen to believe me then I get a lot of negative judgement.
Being told we’re broken or late bloomers, just in general being dismissed is the biggest problem I feel
Belittlement, seen as immature or childish, etc
Sex sells, being ostracized for not engaging in casual sex, bullying
A lot of people don’t understand what it is.
Being put down and denying our existence
Lack of representation which leads to disbelief and a lack of education among non-asexual people.
I think meeting other aces is still a pretty important thing, like more visibility and coercion/spouse, partner, SO rape is definitely still a problem that should be addressed
Not being brought up enough, mention of lgbt people just assume ‘oh that means you’re gay’
Not being accepted as a valid identity and being accused of having sexual trauma causing lack of sexual interest.
Lack of knowledge. I myself didn't really know it was a real thing until in my thirties.
When I came out to my therapist he told me that asexuality isn't real and that everyone is sexual and so visibility and education on the ace spectrum is important.
That we aren’t real or haven’t found the right person yet
Not being taken seriously. Other than that, freedom from being pushed into such relationships.
people think we havent met the right person
Not being believed
not being acknowledged
Not enough recognition
People don't really grasp the concept, and when demisexuals come out, sometimes they can be met with people saying "Well... isn't everyone like that?" So I would like to see more people outside of the ace community understand us better.
Being understood as normal human beings.
They are disregarded and seen as people who just haven't found 'the one' yet. Getting told that your identity is wrong or that you're just not experienced enough is heartbreaking. People telling you they can 'change you' or are convinced that you will change your mind... feel like vultures to me.
Being Understood
Visibility and less pressure to stay closeted
While there are some people who 'get' it, society as a whole is clueless about asexuals. Just as we were with LGBTQ+ a few decades ago. I hate people not understanding the basics and offering idiotic advice. I am 47 and closeted. My family wouldn't get it, and it would be difficult to convey.
Acceptance, non-correction/ignorance, inclusivity in minority groups
Lack of visibility
Little to no media representation / small acknowledgement and awareness
Visibility, general acceptance, dehumanization, latent ostracization
Acephobia
Visibility. Not primarily for the people who already know they are ace, but for those that don't know yet and think for such long times that they are broken.
Probably with people thinking that asexuals can’t be in relationships
¯\_(?)_/¯
How society treats friendship as less than romance/sex, and then proceeds to slap any queer-bating as "just close friends" to dismiss LGB relationships too.
Misunderstandings with allosexuals.
Lack of awareness/erasure, exlusionism, and lack of role models (in media, pop culture, etc)
People not acknowledging them
Pressure to conform, people believing asexuality doesn’t exist/is a disease.
invisibility
Lack of representation in the media, leading to a lack of knowledge about asexuality amongst the general public.
Relating to people and being misunderstood
Being invalidated.
Visiblity
Lack of representation in the media
Erasure , no representation , forced conforming , rape , being told there is something wrong and we are broken , not being understood , mistaken as covering up another sexuality , forced to consume meds , no research and acknowledgement .
I just wish it was more known and talked about so I wouldn't have to explain so much. Also it would be easier to find a partner.
Misunderstanding of ace
It’s a bit of a clusterfuck isn’t it? As a woman I feel it is heavily linked with a compulsion to control sexuality. On the one hand ladies shouldn’t have sex, they should remain ‘pure’, the more sex a woman has the more they’re seen as bad, etc. On the other hand, if a woman isn’t prepared to go down on her husband/partner then there’s something wrong with her. While I don’t experience that first half of the oppression, I do experience the second half. ‘But I neeeeeed it’ says my ex-boyfriend after I told him going into the relationship that I didn’t want it, during the relationship that I hated it, and at the end of the relationship that I didn’t want it.
Lack of recognition/seen as unnatural
The lack of information available, and the idea that not being sexual makes you abnormal or mentally ill. In some cases isolation/backlash from other parts of the LGBT community.
Recognition
The gatekeeping
Many people don't believe that person can be ace
Aphobia in the LGBTQ community
Being stigmatized as being broken because they don't understand why people care about sex so much
Every form of media shoving sex/romance in your face, acephobia
Representation
Many people don’t know or understand asexuality. They don’t know the difference between romantic and sexual attraction, we may be seen as lonely or cold. Many people think  they could fix us, that we’re just late bloomers, that we just haven’t found the right person yet, etc.
Ignorance and misunderstanding
The expectation of having sex to have a fulfilling relationship and feeling worthless when you don't want it or feel sick thinking about it.
Erasure
No one is aware of us.
RS with allos that are not respecting their sexuality. The rape is real.
Probably depends on the ace. I, as a sex-positive cis man, really only start facing issues when ppl start trying to get personal. Society allows me the agency to navigate compulsory allonormativity for the most part, but for sex-repulsed aces or aces whose identities have not historically been granted sexual agency, I can imagine allosexual spaces are a greater challenge.
Lack of awareness
Being called not paet of the lgbtq+ community and not being understood as well as when someone tells you that theyre gay or bi
Visibility, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy
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Disbelief
Pressure of sex/having sex
Representation, especially in pop-culture. Everything with teens eventually focuses on first crush, first kiss, "my parents are gone for the weekend", but never "all of my friends are dating and I suddenly feel very alone around the people I grew up with." Anything with adults focuses on finding "the one", getting married, and popping out babies. What if they don't want "the one"? What if "the one" rejects them when they don't want sex?
Lack of visibility/understanding
Asexuality doesn't really exist off the internet, unless you really look for it. Bad representation. And no one knows what it is
Lack of understanding
Not being taken seriously, people confusing the definition of being asexual with "just not wanting sex"
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The idea that asexuality is a disorder
Lack of awareness/acceptance
Lack of visibility in media and schools should teach kids about asexually and that it’s okay to not want sex or a romantic relationship (aros)
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Erasure is probably one of the biggest problems we as asexuals face seeing as most people either don't know of our existence or believe that it is in fact not an actual thing and just something we ""make up"". There is also a big problem with a lot of lgbtq+ people wanting to exclude us from the lgbtq+ community because ""lack of sexual attraction is not a sexuality since it is just a lack there of"" even if trans is  included which has nothing to do with sexuality, only gender identity and presentation. Some people also don't think we deserve to be part of the lgbtq+ community since we are not ""discriminated against"" as if that was ever a criteria to be part of the community."
Lack of awareness about our existence
the hypersexualization in the media and the pressure placed on asexuals to have sex by society as a whole can be incredibly isolating and can make people feel broken, especially those who don't know about asexuality.
Being understood by allos
People here exaggerate our problems.
"They live in constant fear that no one will ever love them without having sex.

They are also seen as ""broken"" and ""not human."""
Validity.
Recognition
It's generally harder for aces to have close and meaningful romantic relationships because a majority of people expect and prefer to have sex.  Also, people who don't respect our boundaries.
People trying to "fix" us
Sexual assault, no representation meaning that ace people often dont realise they're ace and instead think they're broken,
Lack of visibility
That there's something 'wrong' with them. I experience this as an aro
That people think we are broken and the lack of acceptance we encounter even in the LGBTQ+ community.
Lack of awareness
Denial of our identity, lack of positive representation, oversexualization of everything in media
The people who push aces away from the LGBTQ+ community. Also, the stigma that aces can be "fixed" or are broken
Visibility
Peer pressure having a partner and growing a family
not being understood
Invisibility.
Lack of knowledge and representation. Stigma against asexual people due to commodified nature of sexuality. Conflict with concurrent movements of feminism and the larger LGBT+ community, and exclusion from the latter.
“All relationships with other gendered people must be romantic/sexual/whatever” being a common view
most people don't even know that asexuality exists, we need more visibility
Erasure.
Acknowledging that a person can be whole and isn't broken by not wanting sex
Not being taken seriously or being invalidated.
I've only been openly ace for about 3-4 months, and I haven't seen many issues with it yet. Other than people being somewhat ignorant about what it means, having to explain to different people, sometimes multiple times... sometimes receiving bad reactions like telling me that it's just being celibate. Also, I somewhat recently found a manga with an Ace character, and that shocked me... I wish it was less unknown to others. I mean, I spent 23 years of my life not understanding myself and why I felt like I did... so it kinda sucks.
Understanding
never knowing if you're ace or just haven't met someone you're attracted to yet or it's just an internalized fear.
dating and being in conversations about sex with friends or family in nsfw environment
Feelings of isolation/otherness that comes with it.
Lack of understanding
I'm pretty new I dunno
Sexless in a sex-filled culture
idk
people getting asexuality confzsed with prudence.
If you are ace but like to have sex. People don't really get the difference between that an being allo and I think it makes some people feel invalid.
Misunderstandigs (e.g „asexuals never have sex“), invisibility
People rejecting the idea of asexuality itself
Acknowledgement
lack of recognition. the pressure to have sex.
society
Not being accepted :(
Climate change, just like everyone else
people not understanding
Visibility
Confusion on all sides. Everybody's confused. Asexuals are confused, disagreers are confused, and even allies are confused.
Representation, Marginalisation using pseudoscience, Discrimination within the LGBT community
Lack of visibility/understanding
Rejection of the identity and people not thinking that it's real
erasure
Visibility, credibility/lack of acceptance, negative stereotypes/discrimination, corrective rape
being pressured into sex
People not understanding, not exactly rude behavior just not understanding their feelings.
understanding that, like other sexualities, it is not a choice.
That people don't respect or that it's perfectly fine to not be interested in sex "havent met the right person" "when you get older" "some traumatic experience bla bla"
People thinking asexuals don’t exist or, “You just haven’t met the right person yet.”
Confusion on the sexuality
Lack of understanding and incorrect stigma around the meaning of asexuals (ie. definition is usually misunderstood)
Erasure in modern society.
visibility and being understood better
There is big lack of representation of us
A lot of discourse has happened recently surrounding the exclusion of aces within communities, in which I feel has a bit to do with the confusion and stigmas surrounding the community. I, for one, did not know about the term asexuality until I researched online. With more education on the subject, some major stigmas could be dispelled.
Inability to be ace without people asking if you ever had sex
People assuming that you just haven't met the right person, as though you do not understand your own sexuality
Infantalization
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Not being able to deal with reality
"That intrinsically desiring sex is something all people naturally feel and relate to.
That not desiring sex means there is something wrong with a person and needs to be fixed for the person's own good.
The societal belief that sex is the highest form of intimacy in a relationship.
The societal belief that sex needs to be a part of a healthy romantic relationship."
People understanding what it is
No one seems to understand that there can be a human being who does not want sex. I always get told 'but it's biology. You're just late. It'll hit you and you'll want to sleep with anyone to satisfy the need. No one can escape it.' that's so insulting to an ace.
People think it's celibate and/or always virginity, generally lack of knowledge
We’re ‘invisible’ or ‘broken’ but some do still want to find an SO.