The Organization for
Antisexualism (OFA) is a group (based in
Nebraska) dedicated to drawing attention to antisexualism as the "fourth"
sexuality. The organization also wishes to dispel
myths about
antisexuals and to educate
the public about what exactly antisexualism is.
Antisexualism has also been called asexualism, celibacy, and nonsexualism. Generally, an antisexual is someone who is not interested in sex. The "Anti-" prefix sometimes rubs people the wrong way, making them think that a person claiming antisexualism is against sex not only for him/herself, but for others too. That is a misconception. Antisexualism is not a religion, and most of its members do not want to convert others.
Most often it is considered a biological or psychological condition caused by low hormones, a psychological disorder, or a unique mindset combined with low libido. There is a disorder called hypoactive sexual desire disorder, which is similar to antisexualism but for one thing: For an individual to have hypoactive sexual desire disorder, there has to be a concern about it, the person has to be disturbed by his or her inability to want sex. Antisexuals don't want sex and don't care that they don't want sex; they generally find life very pleasant without it.
A person who is merely chaste, by choice or not, is not necessarily antisexual. If a person has sexual thoughts and desires and wishes to act on them, the person cannot be said to be antisexual, whether he or she acts on the desires or not. Someone who is celibate or chaste could be so for many reasons other than lack of desire.
The OFA wants to spread the idea of an alternate to heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Many antisexuals have had to identify themselves as bisexual when given no other choice because they like both sexes the same: Not at all. People are often so repelled by the suggestion that there are people who don't want sex that they deny their existence and say anyone who feels that way is damaged or sick. The OFA is dedicated to dispelling this myth.
Many people try to challenge the antisexuals and nip their mission statement in the bud, saying that their way "isn't natural" or that it goes against human nature because it does not yield children. These are the same arguments that homosexuals have had to put up with for centuries. The fact remains that it all depends on an individual's preference; yes, the human race couldn't survive naturally (that is, without artificial insemination and whatnot) without heterosexual sex. But that does not mean that every human has to produce young in order to have purpose, and obviously not all sex-related activity is geared toward producing young (in fact, in many relationships children started as nothing more than a by-product!). If you want to get technical, having more homosexuals and antisexuals as a population gets larger is beneficial, considering overpopulation is such a huge problem these days.
Homosexuals are homosexual presumably because of some combination of hormones and mindset, and antisexuals are the same. Some may just be unable to "get into" sex because their hormones haven't made it exciting, and some may have the hormones but not have any personal desire to put them to work, their intellectual or mental or spiritual ways of life overpowering any physical urges. And of course some have both the physical and the emotional disinterest.
Someone can be antisexual and still have sex, but most of the time they will not be doing so. Just as someone who is homosexual can completely deny this aspect of him/herself and try to "be normal" by having heterosexual sex, an antisexual can overcome his or her lack of interest and engage in sex, most often for another person's benefit or because of self-esteem issues. I suppose this would be a non-practicing antisexual.
Most antisexuals aren't unhappy about being so. Most do not think of it as a problem to be solved and will be quite insulted if someone tries to offer them unwanted therapy or pressure them into sex, or verbally abuse them by saying they only feel that way because they don't know what they're missing. If you happen to meet an antisexual and you are curious about their lifestyle, you will probably find that the person in question is used to answering questions and has probably heard most or all of yours before. They usually won't mind discussing it with you if you keep an open mind and don't try to discredit everything they say. They also will not, as a general rule, respond positively if you offer them pity, because they are not sorry they are antisexual. They usually see sex as just another hobby or activity, and have chosen not to participate.
Most antisexuals don't have any physical sexual problems. Most can be sexually aroused if they are exposed to the right stimuli, which is why some of them do masturbate (if they think it feels good). The difference is, they don't seek out the stimuli or feel empty without it, and don't usually have sexual dreams/fantasies or become physically attracted to pretty/handsome people. The fact remains that their bodies have been built to reproduce (in most cases), and will respond to stimuli that usually leads up to mating.
The Organization for Antisexualism has a Web site at http://ofa.cjb.net .