asexuality
Enable an agent to represent asexuality accurately, distinguish attraction from identity and behaviour, and choose respectful actions without assigning an orientation to someone.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to represent asexuality accurately, distinguish attraction from identity and behaviour, and choose respectful actions without assigning an orientation to someone.
Asexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by little or no sexual attraction to others, also used as an identity and an umbrella term for related experiences of limited or conditional sexual attraction.
It can be Compare definitions while retaining their sources, intended populations, and inclusion boundaries.; Record a person's chosen terminology without requiring intimate details or inferring an identity.; Identify when a claim confuses attraction with behaviour, libido, arousal, or romantic orientation.; Evaluate whether research estimates use sufficiently comparable definitions and recruitment methods.; Offer requested terminology explanations or support resources while respecting disclosure preferences.; Ask about specific consent and relationship preferences when relevant instead of deriving them from orientation..
Distinguishing features
A description concerns sexual attraction or an explicitly stated asexual identity; absence of sexual activity alone does not establish asexuality.
Celibacy describes a practice or commitment, whereas asexuality concerns orientation or identity; record them separately even when they coexist.
A claim about libido or physiological arousal does not by itself answer whether someone experiences sexual attraction.
A claim about romantic attraction does not determine asexuality; romantic and sexual self-descriptions require separate records.
Distinguish asexuality used narrowly from asexuality used as a spectrum umbrella, and preserve the speaker's intended meaning.
Scope
+ Definitions centred on absent, low, rare, or conditional sexual attraction and the boundaries between them
+ Relationships between asexuality, asexual-spectrum terminology, and personal identity
+ Distinctions among sexual attraction, romantic attraction, libido, arousal, behaviour, and attitudes toward sex
+ Operational definitions used to identify asexuality in research
+ Consent, disclosure, recognition, and support relevant to asexual people
- Asexual reproduction and reproductive biology
- Sexual-orientation classification beyond its relationship to asexuality
- Aromanticism as an independently modelled orientation
- Diagnosis and treatment of sexual-function concerns
- Celibacy, abstinence, and relationship arrangements as independent practices
- General sexuality education and relationship counselling
Characteristics
- Definition and attribution
- Definition text linked to its author, community, publication, date, and intended context Different definitions cannot be treated as interchangeable without examining their boundaries.
- Scope of terminology
- Narrow asexuality; asexual-spectrum umbrella; another explicitly defined usage; unspecified Establishes whether rare or conditional attraction is included in a particular claim.
- Voluntary identity description
- Person's own wording, optionally dated; questioning; no label; not disclosed Separates personal identification from classifications imposed by observers or instruments.
- Reported sexual attraction pattern
- Absent; low; rare; conditional; another self-described pattern; uncertain; not disclosed, with timeframe Records the experience addressed by attraction-based definitions without inventing numerical thresholds.
- Romantic self-description
- Optional self-described romantic orientation or experience, recorded independently of sexual orientation Prevents assumptions about romance, partnership, or attachment.
- Attitude toward personal sexual participation
- Person's own description, with context and date; variable; uncertain; not disclosed An orientation label does not establish willingness to participate in any sexual activity.
- Research classification method
- Self-identification; attraction question; instrument-based classification; combined rule; other documented method Makes study populations and classification disagreements interpretable.
- Disclosure permission
- Not provided; permitted for a specified purpose and audience; withdrawn Guides whether sensitive identity information may be retained or shared.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.asexuality
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 17 findings · 27 questions.
Definitions and spectrum boundaries Represent how asexuality is defined and how each definition handles neighbouring spectrum terms.
The model must preserve definitional disagreements rather than silently selecting one meaning.
Attributed definitions
Separate definitions by source and intended use.
Definition inclusion rule
Record whether a source defines asexuality through attraction, identity, or a combination, including its qualifiers.
- Does this definition require absent sexual attraction, include little attraction, or use another criterion? definition
- Who uses this definition, in which source, and for what community or research purpose? provenance
Umbrella and neighbouring terms
Track relationships among narrow asexuality, spectrum usage, grey-asexuality, and demisexuality.
Spectrum membership boundary
Represent inclusion relationships as attributed usage rather than a universally fixed taxonomy.
- Does this source use asexuality as a specific orientation or as an umbrella that includes grey-asexuality and demisexuality? boundary
- How does the source distinguish rare attraction from attraction conditional on an emotional bond? definition
Attraction and associated experiences Distinguish sexual attraction from experiences and behaviours that may otherwise be used as proxies.
Recognition fails when sexual activity, desire, arousal, or romance is substituted for attraction.
Sexual experience dimensions
Keep attraction, libido, arousal, and behaviour independently describable.
Attraction proxy check
Determine which experience a statement actually reports before using it in an asexuality classification.
- Is the report about attraction toward someone, general sexual desire, physiological arousal, or sexual behaviour? measurement
- Would the proposed classification change solely because the person has sex, masturbates, or abstains, and what definition justifies that change? boundary
Romance and sex attitudes
Represent romantic experience and attitudes toward sexual participation without deriving them from orientation.
Independent preferences
Preserve optional descriptions of romance, intimacy, and sex-related preferences as separate from the asexual label.
- Has the person independently described romantic attraction or desired forms of intimacy? measurement
- Does an expressed attitude concern personal sexual participation, a particular situation, or general views about other people's sexual activity? boundary
Identity and personal history Represent self-identification, uncertainty, and changes in descriptions without imposing a developmental narrative.
An agent needs to distinguish a person's current account from external interpretation and historical labels.
Self-description authority
Identify who supplied an orientation label and what the person intends it to mean.
Chosen versus assigned label
Keep voluntary identity statements distinct from observer assignments and research classifications.
- Is asexual the person's chosen description, a research classification, or someone else's attribution? provenance
- If the person uses no label or is questioning, how can the agent preserve that position without assigning one? action
Time and reinterpretation
Distinguish changes in attraction, terminology, understanding, and willingness to disclose.
Dated personal account
Attach time and context to accounts without assuming that different accounts invalidate each other.
- Does a reported change concern attraction, the chosen label, understanding of past experience, or disclosure? measurement
- Which description does the person want used now, and is retaining earlier descriptions necessary and permitted? action
Research and operationalisation Represent how studies turn asexuality into inclusion criteria and interpret resulting evidence.
Evidence about asexuality is only interpretable alongside the definitions, questions, and sampling methods that produced it.
Classification procedure
Capture the actual items and rules used to include participants.
Operational definition
Record wording, response choices, timeframe, and any instrument threshold separately from identity.
- What exact questions and decision rules classify a participant as asexual or asexual-spectrum? measurement
- What evidence supports interpreting this instrument in the language and population studied? provenance
Sampling and comparability
Assess what study recruitment and definition choices allow a result to describe.
Population claim limits
Tie prevalence estimates and group comparisons to recruitment, eligibility, and uncertainty.
- Were participants recruited through asexual communities, a general population sample, or another route, and who could be missed? provenance
- Do the compared studies include the same attraction patterns and identity groups over comparable timeframes? boundary
Recognition, consent, and support Guide respectful action where asexuality is relevant to disclosure, relationships, or requests for help.
Recognition should support the person's stated needs without exposing identity, assuming consent, or treating an orientation label as a diagnosis.
Disclosure and interpersonal boundaries
Connect sensitive information handling and interpersonal actions to explicit preferences.
Permission and consent
Record disclosure limits and obtain situation-specific consent independently of orientation.
- For what purpose and audience has the person permitted their asexual identity information to be used? action
- What explicit preferences or consent apply to the proposed interaction, independently of the person's orientation? action
Support and clinical boundaries
Distinguish identity recognition from separately reported distress, unwanted changes, and requests for clinical help.
Person-defined support need
Identify the actual request for help without inferring pathology or a need to change orientation.
- Is the person seeking identity information, help with stigma or relationship pressure, or assessment of a separately reported concern? boundary
- What assistance does the person request, and which concerns require a separate model or qualified professional? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- The intended sense is inferred to be human sexual orientation; the registry supplied no definition.
- Definitions differ between strict absence of sexual attraction and broader spectrum usage; identity, attraction, and behavior are not interchangeable operationalizations.
- This account is recalled knowledge, not source-verified research; terminology and measurement instruments should be checked before publication.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Aromantic asexuality: little or no sexual attraction and little or no romantic attraction
- Romantic asexuality: little or no sexual attraction alongside romantic attraction
- Gray-asexuality: sexual attraction experienced rarely, weakly, or under limited circumstances, commonly included within the asexual spectrum
- Demisexuality: sexual attraction experienced only after a strong emotional bond develops, commonly included within the asexual spectrum
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Self-identification and finding communities with shared experiences
- Communicating attraction, relationship expectations, and personal boundaries
- Sexual-orientation research using self-identification and reported attraction
- Education and counseling that distinguish attraction, desire, behavior, and identity
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Frequency or intensity of self-reported sexual attraction - Absent, infrequent, weak, or conditional; no universally accepted numerical boundary - Questionnaire-dependent response categories or scores
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Conflating sexual attraction with libido, sexual behavior, physiological arousal, or reproductive capacity
- Treating asexuality itself as a disorder or assuming that it requires treatment
- Assuming asexual people cannot experience romantic love, form partnerships, or consent to sex
- Stigma, invalidation, and pressure to engage in unwanted sexual activity
- Estimating prevalence without distinguishing identity-based, attraction-based, and behavior-based definitions
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Availability and meanings of asexual identity labels vary across languages and cultural settings
- Social recognition and willingness to disclose an asexual identity vary, complicating comparisons between populations
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Celibacy or sexual abstinence - Describes refraining from sexual activity; asexuality concerns attraction and does not prescribe behavior.
- Aromanticism - Concerns little or no romantic attraction rather than sexual attraction; either can occur without the other.
- Low libido - Concerns the level of sexual drive or desire; asexuality concerns attraction to others, and libido varies among asexual people.
- Sexual aversion - Concerns negative responses to sexual activity or stimuli; asexual people may be favorable, indifferent, or averse toward sex.
- Asexual reproduction - Describes reproduction without fusion of gametes, rather than a human sexual orientation.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of asexuality this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- How do community, reference, and research sources differ in their use of absent versus little sexual attraction, and which disagreements remain unresolved?
- How consistently do sources and self-identifying people include grey-asexuality and demisexuality within the term asexuality itself?
- Which measures distinguish sexual attraction from libido and behaviour across languages and cultural contexts, and where is validation insufficient?
- How much do recruitment methods and inclusion rules account for differences among published prevalence estimates?
- What longitudinal evidence distinguishes changes in attraction from changes in labels, self-understanding, and disclosure?