The asexual spectrum or asexual umbrella is a group of sexual orientations that all fall under the umbrella term of asexual. People on the asexual spectrum may completely lack sexual attraction or feel it so little that they relate more to the asexual experience than to the allosexual experience. The common link between people on the asexual spectrum is that they do not feel the "standard" amount of sexual attraction or feel it in the "standard" way.
People on the asexual spectrum are often referred to as "ace-spec" for short. Ace-spec people can have any romantic orientation, including aromantic.
Ace-Spec Identities
While there are numerous ace-spec identities, some are more common, like asexual, demisexual, and greysexual, and can stand on their own as identities. Other common ace-spec identities include:
Ace-Spec Microlabels
Some identities in the asexual spectrum are microlabels or identities that fall under the umbrella but cannot stand on their own and must be used in addition to another ace-spec label. Some common ace-spec microlabels include:
- Aegosexual/Autochorisexual
- Apothisexual
- Caedsexual
- Cupiosexual
- Iamvanosexual
- Myrsexual
- Placiosexual
- Requisexual
Ace-Spec Terminology
Terms like sex-ambivalent, sex-favorable, sex-indifferent, and sex-repulsed help ace-spec people explain their relationship with sex. Ace-spec people may also have a non-standard understanding of attraction, particularly sexual attraction.
Other terms help ace-spec people discuss their orientation beyond sex, such as romantic orientation, the Split Attraction Model, and tertiary attraction. Terms like angled aroace, electio aroace, and oriented aroace are useful for ace-spec people who interact with or are also part of the aromantic spectrum, known as aroace.
Flag
Although the asexual flag can be used to represent the asexual spectrum, a flag was created that represents all ace-spec people, not just focusing on people who are purely asexual. The flag was created by Tumblr user potionflags on July 25, 2020.[1]
The dark blue/black stripe represents the asexual community, its history and solidarity. The purple stripe comes from the asexual flag and represents all asexual identities. The pink stripe represents self-determination, pride in one's identity, and acceptance of one's and others’ asexuality. The cream stripe represents diversity in experiences and types of attractions.