Stresexual is a is a sexual modifier under the asexual spectrum in which ones sexual attraction is effected by or limited by mental health or trauma. One may feel as though their trauma, trauma recovery, mental disorders, mental disabilities, or other conditions that effects ones health limits their ability to find attraction. It is similar to caedsexual, however it is not limited to trauma survivors and individuals with PTSD, and is instead open to anyone who feels as though their mental health effects and limits their attraction.
How one may feel as though the way their attraction was limited varies. They may feel as though they are no longer able to be attracted to a specific gender, sex, gender modality, a specific type of person, a person with a specific religion or culture, a person with a specific feature or personality trait, etc.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- An individual who loses sexual attraction to someone after finding out they are Christian, due to religious trauma.
- An individual who loses sexual attraction to someone upon finding out they have a certain set of genitals, due to sexual trauma.
- An individual who loses attraction to someone with a personality trait that can be considered 'messy,' due to neurodivergency.
- An individual who has lost all attraction to women, due to being abused by a woman in the past.
- An individual who has lost attraction to cisn't individuals, due to a past partner being cisn't and harming themselves because of social stigma and/or discrimination around their partner's gender and/or relationship.
There are many other examples or reasons one may fall under this identity. This term may also be used as a modifier for other forms of attraction, such as stresromantic, stresplatonic, stresalterous, etc.
History
The term stresexual was coined by user Double-bi on April 11th of 2021.
Flag
The stresexual flag was made by user JunesNRoses on April 25, 2021. The purples are for stress and anxiety, and it fades to gray for loss of attraction.