Most of us identify as straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, etc. At least, I am yet to meet someone who identifies as asexual. So when I came across an event on Facebook that was aimed at asexuals, I was hooked and immediately signed up. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the event that day. Since I was unable to stop thinking about it, I reached out to the founder and asked her for an interview. Meet Dr. Pragati Singh, the founder of India’s leading asexuality awareness platform called Indian Aces. Let’s hear it from her on how Indian Aces was founded and whether asexuality is indeed a choice or not.
How did Indian Aces come into being?
Back in 2014, I was looking for a community for asexual people in India and after six months, I realized there was none. I knew of other people who were looking for a community too, so I started a Facebook page. I called it Indian Aces and here I would post memes and general information regarding asexuality.
What are some of the common myths regarding asexuality that you hope to dispel through your work?
One of the biggest myths about sexuality is that it’s the same thing as non-sexuality. But in reality, not all asexual people are non-sexual and not all non-sexual people are asexual. Also, some people think that asexuality is a disorder, that something is wrong with you if you are asexual. Again, this is not true.
True or false: asexuality is a choice.
False. Asexuality is as much an orientation as homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, etc. But I don’t believe everyone is necessarily ‘born’ any orientation, including asexual. It is far more complicated than that for some. You should come to one of our meetups to know all the stories of people who are asexual.
How can interested individuals contribute to your cause and help raise awareness?
One of the easiest things somebody can do is to include A when talking about LGBTQI issues. India has come a long way in that sense as more people are aware of asexuality and include it in the abbreviation. This helps make asexuality more inclusive, as should be the case.
To know more about Indian Aces, visit https://www.facebook.com/IndianAces/.
