When it comes to the different facets and factions of the LGBT+ community, some stand out significantly more than others. If you were to go to a pride parade, you would certainly notice the abundance of rainbow flags as well as other rainbow merchandise, and you may be familiar with the different flags for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. But among this mass of more "mainstream" symbols, fringe groups, such as Asexuality, are often drowned out and obscured. This webliography serves to inform the reader of the different symbols used by the asexual community as well as explain the meaning behind them.
AVEN and It's Impact on Asexual Visibility:
Asexual people were a part of society and were included in various sexuality models (the Kinsey Scale and the Storms Sexuality Axis), but it wasn't until the internet had become more available to the public did the "Asexual Community" finally begin to form. Asexuality was essential "born" on the internet and "founded" under the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). These forums served to help inform people about Asexuality as well as to answer questions and give advice. The forums are still in use and have active moderators managing the community, coordinating their wiki, and organizing projects.
An Important Note About Sources:
The majority of the sources posted here in this webliography are from the AVEN forums. While one may question the authority of those who posted on the forum, as well as the credibility of authors/publishers "fonfeluch" and "Bristrek", the most important thing to keep in mind is that many of the symbols used by Asexuals were created and implemented by the AVEN community and eventually spread outwards. Some were put to a vote, some made sense because of other factors, and others were just something fun that stuck. These forums may seem unreliable, but they are without a doubt the roots of the Asexual Community.
AVEN Member "chillbox" et
al. “What Does ‘Cake’ Mean?” Asexual Visibility and Education Network, AVEN
Member "chillbox", 29 Apr. 2009, http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/40185-what-does-cake-mean/.
AVEN Member "Davey", and
AVEN Member "Live R Perfect". “What AVEN Needs Most.” Asexual
Visibility and Education Network, AVEN Member "Davey", 23 June 2004, www.asexuality.org/en/topic/3513-what-aven-needs-most/.
One of the symbols that just arose out of silliness and fun is the cake. It is believed to have been started in a dessert-related forum and has taken on a life of it's own within the AVEN community, to the point where new users on the forums would be bombarded with cake emoticons for sharing their stories. Because of how prevalent cake became among this primarily Asexual base, it became associated with Asexuality and meaning was given to it later, based on some desserts being advertised as "better than sex" and giving rise to the idea that given the choice Asexual people would happily prefer cake over sex.
AVEN Member "fonfeluch".
“Black Ring.” Asexual Visibility and Education Network, AVEN Member "fonfeluch",
4 Apr. 2008, http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/30762-black-ring/.
As an unofficial symbol, the black ring is a symbol that is more obscure among both those within and without the Asexual Community. A black ring (any black ring will do) is worn on the middle finger of the right hand. The idea is certain fingers denote certain relationship statuses, with the left ring finger meaning that you are taken and the right middle finger denoting "permanently single". There is some confusion involved with this however, as wearing a black ring is a symbol that "swingers" (people who are open to having casual sex with other people in a committed relationship) also use; but it seems as though parts of the swinger community have asked their members not to wear their rings on the right middle finger out of respect.
AVEN Member "mmaaxx", and AVEN
Member "hexaquark". “The (Appropriated?) Asexual Triangle.” Asexual
Visibility and Education Network, AVEN Member "mmaaxx", 1 Dec. 2011, http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/68344-the-appropriated-asexual-triangle/.
Although mainly associated with the AVEN forums, the "Asexual Triangle" has quite a few variations and forms. All are upside-down triangles and most opt for a white-to-black gradient on the inside or the colors of the Asexual Flag. There is a lot of controversy around this symbol, mostly because people associate it with the Nazi pink triangles taken back by the gay community, and see the Ace triangle as a form of disrespectful appropriation. The reality is the triangle was designed for the website by the founder David Jay and modeled after the Kinsey Scale, the bottom point representing the second dimension to include asexuality and the color gradient to represent the different types of Asexuals, something a solid line couldn't convey properly.
AVEN Member "Shae", and
AVEN Member "Mysticus Insanus". “What Does ‘Ace of Hearts’ Mean?”
Asexual Visibility and Education Network, AVEN Member "Shae", 10 July
2014, http://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/105469-what-does-ace-of-hearts-mean/.
This symbol derives itself from Asexual slang. It's a mouthful to say Asexual all the time, so to shorten it, one just says A or Ace instead. This brought on the idea that Asexuals could use the four different Ace cards to identify themselves. The Ace of Hearts is used by those who are Asexual and have romantic attraction to others, while the Ace of Spades is typically used by those who are Asexual and Aromantic. As for the Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Diamonds, those who do not fall into the other two categories may choose them, but they have no generally agreed upon meaning to them.
AVEN Member “Bristrek”. “Asexual
Flag: And the Winner Is.....” Asexual Visibility and Education Network, AVEN
Member "Bristrek", 11 Aug. 2010, www.asexuality.org/en/topic/53435-asexual-flag-and-the-winner-is/.
This is it. This is the post in which the Asexual flag was decided upon. The flag won with over 120 votes out of a possible 302, taking just over 40% of the vote. The flag itself is designed in a similar way to the other pride flags, a group of four bars, one on top of the other, in black, gray, white, and purple. each color also represents something different, the black for Asexuals, the gray for Gray-Asexuals (those who fall in-between Asexuality and other sexualities), white for Non-Asexual people, and the purple for Community.
Guerrero, Samantha Lee. “An
Asexual's Guide to Rings.” Odyssey, Samantha Lee Guerrero, 31 Aug. 2016, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/an-asexuals-guide-to-rings.
In regards to why we use things like the black rings and the different suits of Aces as Asexual symbols, this article does a very good job of summarizing it. These symbols are very important to us, they represent the identity that we each discovered and cultivated ourselves, as well as the community of similar people we didn't know existed but were overjoyed to be a part of. It also stands as a way of showing others that they are not alone. Asexual people are so few and far between that often there is this overwhelming feeling of isolation, even after you've managed to discover your identity with the bare-minimum of information. To see another person identifying as Asexual through these various symbols is a proverbial light in the darkness, and makes you feel less alone and part of a larger community.
Jay, David, “Asex 101: Part 1 of 3.”
AVENvideos, 3 Aug. 2009, http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa1z2g_asex-101-part-1-of-3_gaylesbian.
This is part one of a three-part series of videos produced by David Jay, founder of AVEN, on the AVENvideos Dailymotion account. I mentioned the controversy behind the Asexual Triangle a few points back, and at around the 14 or 15 minute mark David goes into the process about how he designed the icon for his newly created website, referencing the Kinsey Scale in its design as well as him talking about how him being the only Asexual person he knew affected the design before and after AVEN took off. The video is also really interesting to watch, as he talks about his own journey of discovery and his surprise at the Asexual community that came out of the woodwork once the AVEN forums were established.
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