I have been asexual my whole life, but I didn’t know it until I came across the term on the internet my freshman year of college. It was such a validating experience to see that other people felt the same way about sex that I do! But if it weren’t for the internet, I never would have found that my sexual orientation was shared by thousands of others, as I have never met another asexual in person.

I would like to talk about the value of the internet, new media, and technology for raising awareness of identities and experiences like asexuality, both as a way to reach people trying to understand themselves and for others who do not know about sexual orientations beyond the usual gay/lesbian, heterosexual, and bisexual categories, especially when information is coming from the commuity members themselves rather than scholars. This discussion can/should also include ways to include these non-scholarly texts into our classrooms, campus activities, and research.