Most asexual people feel less accepted over past year

A new study has found that the majority of asexual people have felt less accepted in the past year.

of Human Rights Campaign spotlights 2025 Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey (ALCS)and found that among those who identified as asexual, 50.9% reported low acceptance and 63.7% reported low visibility. By comparison, for LGBTQ+ adults overall, these numbers were 29.7% and 51.1%, respectively.

Of those surveyed, 4.7% recorded asexuality as part of their sexual orientation or identity. Of these, 16.9% identify only as asexual, and 83.1% also include one or more other identities, such as aromantic, demisexual, or panromantic. Meanwhile, 58% also said they identified as transgender or gender expansive.

Among those who recorded themselves as only asexual, 71.7% felt poorly accepted, compared to 46.1% of those who said they were asexual and had one or more other identities felt the same way.

People who are asexual and have one or more other identities (60.9%) feel less open than people who simply identify as asexual (48%).

Similarly, those who only identified themselves as asexual (57.5%) said they felt less visible (66.7%).

“Asexuals are going backwards again.”

Yasmin Benoit, an asexual activist who collaborated with the Human Rights Campaign on the analysis, said: “The asexual community has long been considered one of the most visible groups within the broader LGBTQIA+ community. Although we have seen improvements in recent years, we are still “They are one of the least likely communities to come out as an African American, one of the least likely to be represented, and one of the least likely to receive support from LGBTQ+ groups and organizations, while facing many of the same issues as other communities.” LGBTQ+ community.

“With an increasingly hostile environment and declining levels of community support, asexual people who were gradually approaching a stage where they felt safe to be open are once again considering the need to retreat or remain in the background. The significant overlap between the trans and ace communities means that the impact of these setbacks is felt even more.”

Diversity of asexual people

The study also found that 58% of people who identify as asexual record themselves as transgender or gender expansive.

Data from these respondents showed much more negative outcomes than cisgender respondents.

Asexual, transgender, or gender-expansive respondents feel they are less visible than they were a year ago (71.4%), compared to 45.9% of cis respondents.

The decline in the visibility of asexual people suggests that they are affected by the difficult experiences that transgender and gender-expansive people currently have to live with.

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