nonasexualism

Nonasexualism is a term used in online discussion to describe attitudes that challenge or reject the validity of asexuality as a distinct sexual orientation. In this sense, nonasexualism contrasts with the recognition of asexuality as a legitimate identity and with efforts to improve visibility and rights for asexual people. The term is not widely used in scholarly literature and has no formal definition; meanings vary by author. Some users employ it to describe positions that deny or downplay the category of asexuality, viewing it as a misinterpretation, a phase, or a condition to be overcome. Others use the term to characterize stances that argue sexual attraction is universal and that labeling oneself as asexual is unnecessary or even harmful to social or personal understanding of sexuality.

Because the phrase appears mainly in informal online discourse, interpretations of nonasexualism can differ significantly and may be controversial. Critics view nonasexualist claims as delegitimizing a minority identity and as reinforcing stigma or essentialist views about sexuality. Proponents who use the term, when they do, typically frame it as a challenge to what they see as rigid or fixed sexual categories, though such arguments are not part of established academic debates.

Related concepts include asexuality, allosexuality, aromanticism, gray-asexuality, and demisexuality, as well as broader discussions of LGBTQ+ inclusion and sexual orientation.