Nopotasexual, or nopo-asexual/nopo-ace, is a microlabel on the asexual spectrum defined as someone who has many allosexual qualities and feelings but a physical or mental incapability to perform sexual activities despite a desire to.
This may present itself in many forms. A nopotasexual person may have a strong desire to have a sexual relationship, have sexual fantasies and interest, have drive and arousal, and some may even have intercourse at one time or another, but they may not be able to experience any pleasure, feel physically repulsed or in pain, or feel that they simply cannot have sex even if they want to. Although this is more specific to incapability, these cons can make a nopotasexual person feel they will not have sex even if they someday can. A nopotasexual person can experience any form of romantic attraction entirely separate from their asexuality and also identify with other asexual labels.
Some examples may include:
- A person with vaginismus or a similar dyspareunia who wants to pursue a sexual relationship but is too physically pained to do so.
- A person with a mental condition that makes them feel scared of or repulsed by sex though at other times they desire it.
- A person who tries to have intercourse or self acts but finds it does not physically please them or bring them any satisfaction.
- A person who simply has a perceived incapability to have sex but is still sex-favorable.
This term can be very similar to terms like caedsexual, neuroasexual, and wolandsexual, and people who identify as those may also identify as nopotasexual. The difference, however, is that someone who is nopotasexual may not have a diagnosable or definable reason for their asexuality. They may have, for instance, trauma that hampered their ability to have sex but not know of this trauma. They may have a sex disorder but not a chronic illness. Some may not have a reason at all for not experiencing pleasure.
Flag
The red-pink with a strip of white represents allosexual feelings and the purple with a strip of grey represents asexual identity. The black fade between the two represents a barrier that nopotasexual individuals feel towards their sexuality. The original flag is intended to have slightly desaturated colors as a representation of confusion about ones sexuality, but the alternative flag was also made to express the colors with a higher contrast.
Etymology
The term is taken from the Latin non possum for "I cannot" or "be unable."
History
This term was coined on March 19th, 2021 by FANDOM user R0swell and the flags finished on March 24th, 2021 by the same user.