WAITING TO BE RECOGNIZED
overturn attitudes like this one,
while still being careful to not invalidate individuals who really do
suffer from sexual disorders.
In May, when the fifth edition
of the DSM was published (almost 20 years after the previous
edition), the asexual community
celebrated what they say is a symbolic, albeit small, victory.
The DSM-5 reclassified HSDD
under the umbrella of Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorders. This new
definition makes a distinction between a lifelong, generalized lack
of sexual desire and other forms of
the disorder, such as a temporary
or a specific lack of desire.
Bogaert believes that most people who fall under the “lifelong”
category will be asexuals, and
though this means that asexuality
could continue to be considered a
treatable medical condition, ace
activists say the distinction made
in the new definition is an important step in the right direction.
“Eventually the goal is for asexuality to not be considered a disorder at all,” Jay said. “But this is
still a victory. It’ll provide us with
the ammunition that we need to
engage with mental health professionals and to change the experience that [asexuals] have in a
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clinical setting.”
In another small win, Jay also
says that the medical community
at large is becoming more accepting of asexuality.
Bogaert is now no longer one
of the few people in the scientific
world interested in asexuality.
His research has opened doors to
many other studies throughout
the last decade.
Even Derogatis — though still
skeptical and of the opinion that
asexuality may in some cases be ex-
“There was this really strong
ethos that sex is a vital part of the
human experience and without it,
there’s something wrong.”
plained away by disorders like hypogonadism and depression — now
expresses more openness to the
idea that asexuality may exist in the
“normal” spectrum of sexuality.
“I suppose they can,” Derogatis
said over the phone in May when
asked if aces could be asexual
without suffering from any underlying conditions. “The bottom line
is, how do we know? If folks say,
‘I’ve always been that way, and
I’m happy with it,’ then
that’s great.”