"Sex Without Sexual Attraction?": Perceived Sexual Experiences of Indian Sex-positive Asexuals

Abstract Amidst the vast majority of literature that either quantify the extent to which one identifies to be asexual or creates an atomistic perspective of the asexual spectrum which reiterates the false notion that all asexuals are aversive to sex, the current qualitative inquiry aimed to describe the sexual experiences of sex-positive asexuals who are rarely mentioned in academia. Fifteen Indian sex-positive asexuals who have engaged in either self-pleasure or partnered sex, and even both, were recruited for the study. The individual semi-structured interviews that captured their perceptions of their own sexual experiences were thematically analysed to cover the same important phenomena. The experiences associated with developing own identity in terms of sexual activity included self-exploration helping in self-acceptance, feeling of being different and a preference of the type of sexual activities. The participants also reported how their preconceptions about sex based on media and peer engagement differed from what it really was. Emotional experiences during self-pleasure and partnered sex were found to be radically different for most of the participants. Recognising why self-pleasure is important to them and the impacts they believe it had, were commonly observed. It was also found that the participants had a clear understanding of their own roles and the extent of efforts to be put into self-pleasure activities and partnered sex. During the normal human experience of physiological arousal, which is purely based on non-sexual factors about the partner or a potential one, they resort to indulging in sex with them or pleasuring themselves. A dichotomy in terms of the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for why they indulged in self-pleasure or partnered sex was observed. The results of the study are pivotal in developing inclusive practises, sex education and community awareness about this particular community and, most importantly, enabling representation of their experiences within the academia about sex and sexuality.