Nemosexual, also known as nemo(s), clownfish, clowners, nemoace(s), and anemone, is a microlabel for those on the asexual spectrum who have never experienced sexual attraction. This falls under the Black Stripe Asexual umbrella. This asexual may have confusion over what sexual attraction is and/or whether they have felt it.
The opposite of nemosexual is praetersexual. The aro-spec equivalent of nemosexual is nemoromantic.
Nemosexual is similar to suptiliasexual; however, nemosexuals are not entirely certain over whether they will experience sexual attraction in the future. Nemosexual is an identity that is entirely temporal and based in the present, as once an individual experiences sexual attraction, they cease being nemosexual.
Nemosexuals often use other prefixes and suffixes to specify their identity. For example:
- heteronemoace (to represent a nemosexual who orients towards heterosexual attractions).
- nemoaroace (to represent someone who has never felt romantic or sexual attraction).
- aegonemo or anegonemo (in reference to aegosexual nemosexuals).
History
The term originated from AVEN (The Asexual Visibility and Education Network) on July 12, 2021. It was suggested by AVEN user SleuthArt in a brainstorming thread for a label that is now known as Black Stripe Asexual.[1] SleuthArt, upon losing in the site-wide polls, decided to alter the meaning of the term to be a microlabel under the Black Stripe Asexual umbrella.[2][3][4][5] On July 19, 2021, the user defined it as "a micro-label under the Black Stripe Asexual umbrella that describes BSAs who have never (to the best of their knowledge) experienced sexual attraction [...]"[6]
Flag
The nemosexual flag is four-striped and based on the asexual flag. The black represents asexuality, the purple represents community, the white represents how nemosexuals intersect with other spectrums of identity (eg. the trans and/or non binary spectrums), and the orange represents nemosexuality and relates to the famous fish from Finding Nemo.
This flag can be confused with the non-binary flag in coloring, but the purple and orange stripe are darker colors, and the stripes are in a different order. If a nemosexual feels that the flag is too similar, they can use the alternative flag. The alternative flag was made by Wiki user Lazykxtie.[7]
Etymology
Nemosexual uses the Latin prefix nemo- meaning 'none.'