Celebrities Who Have Talked About Being Asexual
As we’ve learned in the last decade, representation is everything. From more actors being cast in appropriate roles (we’re all trying to forget the Ghost in the Shell debacle) to more LGBTQ stars speaking out about the pride they have in their identities, it’s a beautiful thing to see. Speaking of the LGBTQ community — so many stars have opened up about what their sexual orientation means to them, how scared they were coming out, and how happy they are now that they did it. However, while many stars have been open about their sexuality and gender identity, there are still many identities that don’t get talked about enough. One of these underrepresented identities is called asexuality. Despite many identifying as asexual, there are so many misconceptions about it.
Per the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, asexuality is defined as “someone who does not experience sexual attraction or an intrinsic desire to have sexual relationships.” Now, they can have relationships with people, and feel romance and love, but they just don’t feel a large need (or any need) for sex.
There’s a lot more to asexuality; it’s actually on a spectrum. And while many who identify as asexual may feel alone, they’re anything but.
Many celebrities have talked about their asexuality, shining more of a light on this particular experience of sexuality — read on for what they had to say below.
A version of this article was originally published in June 2022.
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Tim Gunn
Fashion titan Tim Gunn wrote about him realizing he identifies as asexual in his 2011 memoir Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work. He said, “I knew what I wasn’t: I wasn’t interested in boys, and I really wasn’t interested in girls. For many years, I described myself as asexual, and I still think that’s closest to the truth.”
Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work
Yasmin Benoit
Model Yasmin Benoit previously wrote in an essay for Glamour UK about how she identifies as asexual. In the essay titled “‘People think I must be unlovable, fussy or mentally ill:’ Here’s what it really means to be asexual and aromantic,” she wrote, “I live a perfectly happy and fulfilled life as a Black asexual, aromantic woman. I don’t need a partner to complete me – I’m complete just the way I am. That’s why I use my platform to fight against asexuality stigma, dispel myths and help empower the ace community.”
David Archuleta
American Idol alum David Archuleta came out to his beloved fans in June 2021 through a touching Instagram post. He said, “I like to keep to myself but also thought this was important to share because I know so many other people from religious upbringings feel the same way. I’ve been open to myself and my close family for some years now that I am not sure about my own sexuality.”
The singer added, “I came out in 2014 as gay to my family. But then I had similar feelings for both genders so maybe a spectrum of bisexual. Then I also have learned I don’t have too much sexual desires and urges as most people… which people call asexual when they don’t experience sexual urges. There are people experiencing the same feelings of being LGBTQIA+, who are wrestling to follow their beliefs that are so important to them, just as I have. Idk what to make of it and I don’t have all the answers.”
Paula Poundstone
Comedian Paula Poundstone has been very open about being asexual since she rose to fame. In a previous interview with Edge Media Network, the interviewer called her one of the “best-known asexuals in the world,” asking how Poundstone felt about that.
She said, “Well, it is hard to say a lot more about being asexual. I don’t like sex. Therefore, I don’t have sex. It frees up time, but that’s not by design, it’s just a bonus.”
In another interview with Pride Source in 2014, she said she doesn’t talk about her asexuality in her stand-up for a simple reason. “I don’t talk about sex a lot because I don’t actually have sex. It involves much more work than I’m willing to put out. The idea that I’d go to my room after everything else I go through in a day and that there’d be someone in my room that might expect something like that from me — I just can’t even.”
Kim Deal
Pixies guitarist Kim Deal came out as asexual in 2009 during an interview with Jenny Stewart. Stewart asked Deal if she identified as gay, to which Deal responded by saying “You know what? I’m just so…asexual.”
Erica Mendez
Beloved voice actress Erica Mendez came out as asexual in 2020 with a powerful tweet. She wrote, “My twitter is a safe space for all LGBTQIA+ people, but as an ace myself, this particularly resonates with me,” and later clairifed what ace means, saying: “Asexual. You can learn more about it if you click through the post I retweeted.”
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner has been very open about her journey of transitioning, along with being open about her sexual orientation. In an interview with the Washington Post in 2015, she said she identified as asexual. While she’s not too comfortable going in-depth on it, she simply said, “Let’s go with ‘asexual’ for now.”
Janeane Garofalo
Back in Feb 2019, Janeane Garofalo talked about asexuality on the podcast Dyking Out – a Lesbian and LGBTQIA Podcast for Everyone! by Carolyn Bergier and Melody Kamali. She said, “The reason I say I’m asexual is my libido has always been incredibly low. I never have been particularly driven by sex… I could take it or leave it.”
